Category: Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Overcoming the Traditions of Men & Passivity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because of receiving bad information in the past, many people must overcome obstacles before receiving the baptism in the Spirit. My previous article in this series illustrated how to conquer fear and legalism. This one looks at two more common hindrances and shows how to get past them.

 

Traditions of Men

Religious groups tend to form their own culture and traditions over time. Non-denominational churches often begin as a sort of protest against dead formality and ritual, but over the years such churches develop their own set ways of doing things. This is part of what it means to be human and is not necessarily a bad thing.

If our traditions stand between us and the our apprehension of the truth and our reception of God’s promises, however, they are evil and must be set aside.

Jesus confronted dead religious traditions quite often, thereby incurring the wrath of the establishment. Once traditions are set, they assume a stature as if God himself set them up. Some churches, such as Roman Catholicism, officially elevate church tradition to the status of scripture. More evangelical churches would never openly say such a thing, but in actuality they sometimes put their traditional interpretation of scripture over the truth. Once again, this is a human propensity. For those steeped in the traditions of men, the old and established way of doing things always seems better.

Jesus warned against following our traditions when they nullify the clear intent of God’s Word.

And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4  "For God said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.' 5  "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God," 6  he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7  "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 8  'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 9  'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" Matthew 15:3-9 (NASB)

When it comes to the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the only thing that matters is what the scriptures say, not what our church traditions may teach. Just as in Jesus’ day, sometimes it requires great courage to resist and overcome time honored traditions in order to serve the Lord.

Passivity

There is a time for “waiting upon God,” which describes our having the attitude of being surrendered to God’s will for our lives and honoring him as the initiator. Waiting on God is a function of our understanding the danger of operating independently from the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

However, once we know what his will for us is and are confident that now is the time for us to act, passivity becomes a sin.

Nothing substitutes for acting in faith, not even prayer or worship. If our mother asked us to clean our rooms, when we were young children, she would not be happy to find out we never did it because we were praying instead. There is a time for every purpose under heaven.

Jesus instructed his first disciples to wait for the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Spirit, but this was because their first experience of this extraordinary gift from God had to take place on the exact day of Pentecost, perfectly fulfilling God’s eternal purpose for that Old Covenant feast. They waited and prayed for days in the upper room, but when the day of Pentecost finally arrived, the Spirit was powerfully poured out.

Since then, every day is Pentecost. There is no longer any need to wait. We can receive instantly.

In addition, we should not expect the Holy Spirit to somehow take control of us, as if God superimposes himself over our desires and will. In his goodness and love, God expects and encourages us to partner with him. The Spirit, who dwells within us, also comes alongside us allowing us to participate with him in ministry. He lets us know the things that God has freely given to us, which includes the baptism in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

Our role is to ask for and receive God’s blessings. If we do not ask, why should we expect to receive? If we have asked, what is stopping us from actively receiving?

It is true that sometimes God blesses those who do not seek or ask, but almost always he wants our participation, especially when we know the truth. Therefore, we should not be passive when it comes to the baptism in the Spirit. Remember: faith acts as if God’s Word is true… because it is.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8  "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 (NASB)

 

 

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Overcoming Fear & Legalism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many people may need to overcome some obstacles before receiving the baptism in the Spirit. My previous article in this series illustrates how to overcome ignorance. This one looks at two additional hindrances and shows how to get past them.

 

Fear

Fear is often a subset of ignorance. We often fear and reject what we do not understand.

Advances in knowledge and understanding are often met with stiff resistance. The Anabaptists were put to death by Protestants and Catholics alike for practicing believer (adult) baptism, as opposed to the practice of infant baptism, which had been the acceptable mode in the church for centuries. Infant baptism was considered to be the means for children to enter the church, similar to infant circumcision in the Old Covenant. It was part of the sacramental system, which teaches that grace is communicated through the sacraments, rather than through the direct personal work of God’s Spirit. If a child were not properly baptized and should die, it was feared that he or she would be consigned to either hell or a place called limbo, a kind of shadowy unbiblical ghost-like existence away from God’s presence. Through sacramentalism the church maintained an iron grip upon the people, who believed they had no direct access to God. Only the priests, another Old Covenant construct that was improperly transferred to the church, were able to minister the sacraments. This rendered the common people (the laity) dependent on men instead of God. When the Anabaptists introduced the radically new practice of believer baptism, it upset this long established tradition and belief system, bringing incredible wrath upon its practitioners. Today much of the church, including the part with which I associate myself, accepts believer baptism as the normal way of doing things, but not then. The rest of the church accepts or least tolerates the practice today. God restored this long lost truth regarding water baptism to the church during the Reformation. Since the early 20th  century the Lord of the harvest has been restoring truth about the baptism in the Spirit.

Truth is usually resisted at first, but wins out in the end.

Today many are afraid of the baptism and gifts of the Spirit because they seem unfamiliar and strange. Their church leaders may have never taught them about these things, or, even more sadly,  may have taught them lies based on man-made theology and traditions. Jesus warned us about using doctrines of men to block obedience to God’s Word.

And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7  'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 8  "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." 9  He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. Mark 7:6-9 (NASB)

The Jewish leaders feared Jesus, because they did not understand him and feared what he would do. Their idea of the Messiah did not mesh with who he really was and is. They were afraid he would upset their traditional way of handling things; therefore, they hated and rejected him, eventually putting him to death. Satan always resists the advancement of truth. He fears the truth and the power of God, and instills that fear into his followers. If you have allowed fear to stand in the way of your receiving God’s blessing of the baptism and gifts of the Spirit, be careful that you are not following the traditions of men or simply allowing your fear of the unknown to block you from God’s best.

Satan cannot stop God from blessing you, but your fear and unbelief can.

Repent and ask God to remove fear and open your heart to him and his truth.

Legalism

Legalism is a man made attempt to gain or maintain a right standing with God through our own efforts, instead of believing and receiving what Jesus did for us.

Regarding the baptism of the Spirit, legalism shows up in our thinking that we are not yet good enough or holy enough to receive this remarkable gift.

We may think that we must clean up our lives or overcome some particular sin first. It may be that we do need to repent of a sin prior to receiving from God, but that can be done instantly.

Legalism wants us to delay things until we feel that we are good enough.

That will never happen. We will never be good enough on our own. Jesus made us worthy to receive all God’s blessings and love.

The baptism in the Spirit is designed to be one of the first experiences a new believer has with God.

The Holy Spirit comes into our lives to make us more like Jesus. He will take care of remaking us in Christ’s image, which is a lifelong endeavor. First things first! Now simply receive God’s blessings. Later we can cooperate with the Spirit in the transformation process. Now we need to simply open our hearts to God and receive his blessings by faith.

The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Galatians 3:2 (NET)

Both fear and legalism indicate that we do not yet fully trust God. Isn’t time we let go of these two things and simply receive his wonderful blessings?

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Irrefutable Evidence

Evidence is what we see, hear, or otherwise apprehend directly and personally, not secondhand or by hearsay, which helps to demonstrate the truth of some assertion. Evidence must be something objective and external to us, rather than inward feelings or conjecture. It is something that can stand up in court. Evidence does not cause something to happen. It proves that something did happen.

The Bible says that the evidence of the baptism in the Spirit is speaking in tongues and prophecy.

This teaching is limited to the evidence of speaking in tongues, since that is more common than prophecy as an initial evidence. When we observe someone speaking in tongues, we have irrefutable evidence that he or she received the baptism in the Spirit. If the person does not speak in tongues, but says he knows he has received the baptism in the Spirit by faith, even though it may be true, we cannot corroborate his statement because we have no evidence.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Unfortunately, we often read into the scriptures our own prejudices and experience. This is called eisegesis, as opposed to the proper task of exegesis, which is extracting from the Bible what it means. While it sounds very noble to claim that we do not practice eisegesis, we all are influenced by our own experience, traditions handed down to us, and a priori beliefs. Only the Holy Spirit can properly interpret the Bible since he is the Author or Inspirer.

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. 1 John 2:27 (NLT) —

It is a misguided endeavor to limit our interpretation of the Bible to what scholars determine was the human author’s intention and meaning when he wrote, especially when it comes to prophecy, since we are told that it was the Holy Spirit “carrying them along” (2 Peter 1:21) when they spoke and wrote, often about things regarding which they had limited understanding at best.

This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. 12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. 1 Peter 1:10–12 (NLT) —

Knowing that we all tend to approach Scripture from the frame of reference of what we already think, have experienced, or have been taught, we should be careful when interpreting those things that are outside of our own experience.

Humility keeps us open to receive more from God and does not insist that truth conform to our own theology or experience.

Another big obstacle is bad doctrine. Some Bible teachers have done a great disservice to the body of Christ by disseminating false teaching regarding the baptism and gifts of the Spirit. Overcoming such indoctrination is often quite a challenge, especially if we love, respect, and trust our previous instructors.

Just because someone knows a lot about the scriptures in general does not mean he or she understands everything.

While a bachelor can teach on marriage from the Bible, a married person will probably have much more insight and wisdom about life as a couple from having experienced marriage firsthand. A person may know what the Bible teaches about the new birth, but until we have personally experienced it, we cannot properly understand it. Likewise, well-intentioned Bible teachers have taught on the baptism and gifts of the Spirit without ever having received or experienced them, often because they have rejected that they are for today.

Jesus said we must obey the Word to understand it.

Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.  John 7:17 (NLT) —

Spiritual strongholds are lie-based logical arguments we embrace that block us from believing God’s revealed truth and receiving the attached blessings.

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NLT) —

If we are taught and embrace a lie about the baptism or gifts of the Spirit, it sets itself up in our minds to keep us estranged from one of God’s biggest blessings – the Promise of the Father. Sowing lies is one of the devil’s primary strategies to hinder people from first coming to Christ and then, after we become Christians, to keep us from advancing in our faith and devotion to Christ. Overcoming lie-based strongholds requires us to embrace God’s truth, even when it opposes our previously held beliefs.

Traditions of men cannot be allowed to stand between us and God’s blessings.

The Record from Acts

Luke’s record of how the Holy Spirit worked through the early disciples of Christ in the years following his resurrection is found in Acts. We should allow the record to speak for itself instead of superimposing our own understanding and traditions on top of the Bible’s clear testimony.

Unfortunately, over time, unexperienced truth can be lost and buried like old ruins.

Thankfully, God has restored much to the church regarding the baptism in the Spirit over the last century beginning at Azusa Street, continuing through the Latter Rain Movement, and the Charismatic Renewal. In addition, over the past decades, God has restored our understanding and experience of apostles and prophets, two of the more neglected components of the Five-Fold or Ascension Gift Ministries described in Ephesians 4:11-12.

The first example of people being baptized in the Spirit is found in Acts 2.

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3  And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)  

The word Luke used in the above passage to describe what happened to the disciples is that they were “filled” with the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his followers that they would be “baptized” in the Spirit.

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5  for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:4-5 (ESV)

We should not be confused by the overlapping terminology. The “filling” recorded in Acts 2 was the ‘baptism” promised in Acts 1. The important thing for us is that this was another experience with the Holy Spirit, different from the new birth. This baptism in the Spirit filled those men and women to overflowing with the power and boldness of the Holy Spirit, to equip them for preaching the Gospel and ministering in Christ’s name.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV)

Speaking in tongues is the supernatural overflow of this filling or baptism in the Spirit.

Jesus taught that we speak out of whatever fills our hearts.

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 (ESV)

We all talk about the things that excite us. If we are football fans, we love to speak about football. If we are fans of cooking, we share recipes. If we love nature, we talk of the outdoors. If we are filled with God’s Spirit, we will talk about Jesus. In some cases, we do so in other languages inspired by the Spirit of God.

When we overfill a pitcher of water, the overflow comes out of the spout. When God overfills us with his Spirit, the excess spills out in various ways, usually in verbal form. Our mouths are sort of a pressure relief valve.

Paul wrote the following.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19  addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, Ephesians 5:18-19 (ESV)

Why should it surprise us that people begin speaking and singing when filled with the Spirit? The only real surprise is that we can and often do express our joy and excitement by speaking in unknown languages.

Here are some more examples from Acts.

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45  And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46  For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God... Acts 10:44-46 (ESV)  

And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. Acts 19:6 (ESV)

When Peter and John visited Samaria on the heels of Philip’s preaching the gospel there for the first time, they laid hands on the new believers because, even though they had believed and been water baptized, they had not yet been baptized in the Spirit. How did the apostles know? The most reasonable explanation is because they had not yet spoken in tongues.

When Peter and John prayed, something so remarkable happened that Simon the Magician begged to be given the power associated with laying on of hands. Most probably he heard the people begin to speak in tongues, just as happened the other times people were baptized in the Spirit in Acts.

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15  who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16  for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17  Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18  Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19  saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:14-19 (ESV)
Conclusion

The record of Acts clearly shows us that the first disciples received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and prophecy. This irrefutable evidence allowed Peter to argue successfully that he had to water baptize the Gentile Cornelius, since God obviously demonstrated his acceptance of him by giving him the baptism in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

There was no difference between what happened to the first disciples on Pentecost and what happened to Cornelius and the others later.

For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47  “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ... Acts 10:46-48 (ESV)

We should desire and expect no less for us who live today. God is the same, the promise is the same, and the need is the same.

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”  Acts 2:38–39 (NASB95) —

To access this entire series, click here.

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Overcoming Common Obstacles to Receiving the Baptism in the Spirit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this lesson we will look at some of the more common obstacles to receiving the baptism in the Spirit that we may encounter and how to overcome them.

For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? Isaiah 14:27 (ESV)

Satan is not in the least comparable to God in power or authority. From the beginning of his rebellion, our adversary’s cause has been doomed, but his activities are not without consequence to us. Satan has influenced countless millions to join his revolt against God, increasing the population of hell and the misery of humankind. He works incessantly to block people from receiving the new birth, to hinder followers of Christ from experiencing all that Christ died to give them, and to prevent them from becoming witnesses and disciplemakers.

While Satan cannot block God’s blessings, he does deceive us into erecting our own obstacles, which must be overcome or removed.

Just as Balaam, the false prophet, could not curse those whom God had blessed (Numbers 23:8), neither can Satan.

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 20 “Behold, I have received a command to bless; When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.  Numbers 23:19–20 (NASB95) —

However, Balaam slyly and indirectly cursed Israel by influencing them to sin against God, bringing the Lord’s judgment upon the nation.

Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.  Numbers 31:16 (NASB95) —

In like manner Satan tempts us to sin and doubt God’s promises to hinder us from experiencing God’s blessings to their fullest. Below are some of the more common obstacles or hindrances to receiving God’s blessings and how to overcome them.

Ignorance

People often resist what they do not know or understand.

The devil sows his lies into the fertile soil of our ignorance where they can germinate into resistance against God and his promises.

Hosea 4:6 states that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Ignorance is never a good thing, except when it comes to evil. Overcoming ignorance requires work. God wants us to be like those in Berea when they first heard Paul preach the gospel. Even though Paul’s words were contrary to some of their Jewish traditions, the Berean audience carefully considered what he said in light of the Bible’s teachings.

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12  Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. Acts 17:11-12 (NASB)

To overcome the obstacle of ignorance, we must apply ourselves to study the scriptures and believe what they tell us, regardless of what we may have been taught previously.

We cannot afford to remain ignorant of God’s truth!

With regard to spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 1 Corinthians 12:1 (NET)

If we want to know the truth about the baptism in the Spirit, it is up to us to search for it in the Bible rather than simply rely upon what others say. We can safely trust the Holy Spirit to be our guide. If this doctrine is truly of God, he will make it plain to us.

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13 (NASB)
 
Fear

Fear is often a subset of ignorance. We often fear and reject what is new, different, or we do not understand. Truth wins in the end. Today many are afraid of the baptism and gifts of the Spirit because they are unfamiliar and strange to them. Their church leaders may have never taught them about these things or, even more sadly, may have taught error based on man-made theology and church traditions.

Often following Jesus requires us to confront our fears. We can trust him to guide us into a place of safety if we follow him with simplicity and faith.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.  Luke 12:32 (NASB95) —

Jesus threatened the Pharisees’ iron grip on the people by teaching them how to connect with a loving Abba Father who did not require them to adhere to dead religion. The Pharisees’ expectation of the role of the Messiah did not mesh with who Jesus really was and is. Rather than adjust their beliefs to Jesus’ explanation of the meaning of scripture, they dug more deeply into their doctrinal position. They feared, rejected, and hated him, eventually putting him to death to preserve their position of power. Satan had effectively united them to his cause. They became Christ’s worst enemies by steadfastly resisting truth and the Spirit of God’s testimony.

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”  John 11:49–50 (NASB95) —

Satan always resists the advancement of truth and God’s Spirit because it threatens his tyrannical grip on people. He instills that fear into those whom he can influence.

Satan cannot stop God from blessing you, but our fear and unbelief can restrict our experience of him.

Legalism

Legalism is a man-made attempt to gain or maintain a right standing with God through our own efforts instead of believing and receiving what Jesus did for us. We can begin our spiritual journey by relying on grace but slide into legalism along the way.

How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?  Galatians 3:3 (NLT) —

Regarding the baptism of the Spirit, legalism reveals itself when we think that we are not yet good or holy enough to receive this remarkable gift.

We may think that we must clean up our lives or overcome some sin first. It may be that we do need to repent of a sin prior to receiving from God, but that can be done instantly. Legalism wants us to delay things until we feel that we are good enough. That will never happen. We will never be good enough on our own to deserve God’s blessings.

Jesus made us worthy to receive all of God’s blessings.

The baptism in the Spirit is designed to be one of the first experiences a new believer has with God. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives to make us more like Jesus. He will take care of remaking us in Christ’s image, which is a lifelong endeavor. First things first! Now simply receive God’s blessings. Later we can cooperate with the Spirit in the transformation process. Now we simply need to open our hearts to God and receive his blessings by faith.

The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Galatians 3:2 (NET)
 
Traditions of Men

Most, if not all, religious groups tend to form their own culture and traditions over time. Non-denominational churches often begin as a protest against dead formality and ritual, but over the years such churches develop their own set ways of doing things. This is part of what it means to be human and is not necessarily a bad thing.

However, if our traditions stand between us and the apprehension of the truth and our reception of God’s promises, they are evil and must be set aside.

Jesus confronted dead religious traditions quite often, thereby incurring the wrath of the establishment. Once traditions are set, they tend to assume a stature as if God himself set them up. Some churches, such as Roman Catholicism, are upfront about it by officially elevating church tradition to the status of scripture. Evangelical churches would never openly say such a thing, but we sometimes put our traditional interpretation of Scripture over truth.

Those steeped in the traditions of men prefer the old and established way of doing things over any new revelation from the Spirit.

That is one reason it is often easier to disciple an unbeliever than a long-time church goer. There is less to unlearn.

Jesus warned against following any traditions that nullify the clear intent of God’s Word.

And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4  "For God said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.' 5  "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God," 6  he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7  "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 8  'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 9  'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" Matthew 15:3-9 (NASB)  

When it comes to the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the only thing that matters is what the scriptures say, not what our church traditions may teach. Just as in Jesus’ day, sometimes it requires great courage on our part to resist and overcome time honored traditions to serve the Lord.

Passivity

There is a time for “waiting upon God,” which describes our having the attitude of being surrendered to God’s will for our lives and waiting for him to clarify what he wants us to do. Waiting on God shows that we grasp the danger of operating independently from the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

However, once we know what his will for us is and are confident that now is the time for us to act, passivity becomes a sin.

Nothing substitutes for acting in faith, not even prayer or worship. If our mothers asked us to clean our rooms when we were young children, they would not be happy to find out we never did it because we were praying instead. There is a time for every purpose under heaven.

Jesus instructed his first disciples to wait for the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Spirit, but this was because their first experience of this extraordinary gift from God had to take place on the exact day of Pentecost, perfectly fulfilling God’s eternal purpose for that Old Covenant feast.

“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”  Luke 24:49 (NLT) —

They waited and prayed for days in the upper room, but when the day of Pentecost finally arrived, the Spirit was powerfully poured out on them.

Since then, every day is Pentecost. There is no longer any need to wait. We can receive the baptism in the Spirit instantly by faith.

In addition, we should not expect the Holy Spirit to somehow take control of us, as if God superimposes himself over our desires and will. In his goodness and love, God expects and encourages us to partner with him. The Spirit, who dwells within us, also comes alongside us allowing us to participate with him in ministry. He lets us know the things that God has freely given to us, which includes the baptism in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

Our role is to ask for and receive God’s blessings.

If we do not ask, why should we expect to receive? If we have asked, what is stopping us from actively receiving?

It is true that sometimes God blesses those who do not seek or ask, but almost always he wants our participation, especially when we know the truth. Therefore, we should not be passive when it comes to the baptism in the Spirit. Faith acts as if God’s Word is true… because it is.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8  "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 (NASB)
 
The Occult

If we have ever been an occult practitioner of any sort, consulted such a person, or even dabbled in occult activities that we thought were harmless, such as a Ouija board, we should take the necessary steps to extricate ourselves from the devil’s trap.

… I do not want you to be partners with demons. 1 Corinthians 10:20b  (NET)

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul warned those early disciples not to participate with demons in any way. In the modern world many do not even believe that such malevolent beings exist, but anyone who takes the Bible seriously cannot dismiss them. The Bible does not tell us much about their origin, but we do know that they are evil spirits which desire to inhabit human bodies and oppress anyone they can.

The Greek word that describes the activity of demons is “daimonidzomai,” which simply means to demonize. Some translators of the Bible unfortunately used the English word “possess,” which carries all altogether different meaning of ownership and complete control. Using this poor translation as their basis, some argue that it is impossible for Christians, who belong to God and in whom dwells the Holy Spirit, to be possessed, owned, or completely taken over by an evil spirit. I agree wholeheartedly with that logic, but I insist that it is possible for believers in Christ to be demonized or oppressed by evil spirits. I have seen too many examples to think otherwise. Believers in Christ belong to God but can be oppressed by the devil.

Oppression can take many forms, ranging from mild to severe.

While demons, or anything or anyone else for that matter, cannot block the Holy Spirit, in his kindness and wisdom God may require us to properly distance ourselves from the demonic before he allows us to move forward with him.

God is properly “jealous” in the sense that he refuses to “cohabit” with evil.

You unfaithful people! Don't you know that love for this {evil} world is hatred toward God? Whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God. 5  Do you think this passage means nothing? It says, “The Spirit that lives in us wants us to be his own.” James 4:4-5 (GW)  

Demons do not care how they gain access to people. They will take advantage of any doors we open to them, even when we do it unknowingly. In fact, innocent people are often exposed to demonization by the actions of others, as in the case when adults introduce young children to sin, especially sexual sin and occult practices, such as witchcraft.

Why is occult involvement such a hindrance? I suppose it is because through it we open ourselves up to Satan’s power when we involve ourselves in his world. God will not tolerate demons to inhabit our bodies, which were created to house the Holy Spirit.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.  1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NASB95) —

It is an affront to God when we turn to demons for knowledge or help, instead of relying upon him.

This is one reason God expressly forbids any attempt to contact the dead or Satan’s realm to gain knowledge or power. Not only does it expose us to demonic oppression, but it opens a door for lies to control us.

Martha and I were once ministering to a young woman who was not able to get a breakthrough when it came to speaking in tongues, even though she had repeatedly asked to receive the baptism in the Spirit. I asked her if she had ever been involved in the occult. She replied that she formerly had practiced witchcraft. I then inquired if she had ever renounced that, and she said, no. She did not know that she even needed to do so. The Bible says that…

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13 (NASB)

We led her in a prayer of repentance in which she renounced her past involvement with witchcraft. Immediately she told us that she felt as if an anvil were pressing down upon her chest. Suddenly the pressure lifted, and she began speaking in tongues. God waited for her to confess the sin and get rid of the demon, which had been oppressing her for years without her knowledge, before he gave her his marvelous gift.

What a blessing that God withheld something good until she took steps to rid herself of something bad!

Some of the occult activities we may need to renounce include the following: seances, Ouija board, fortune telling, tarot cards, witchcraft, astrology, etc. If we have in any way dabbled or immersed ourselves in anything connected with the kingdom of darkness, we should repent and verbally renounce those things and ask for and receive God’s forgiveness through Christ’s blood. Then we can command any attached spirits of darkness to depart in Jesus’ name. They must obey that command. We carry Christ’s authority which is backed up by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. We speak the words of authority and faith, and the Spirit of God enforces them.

It is vital that we understand and believe that evil spirits have no option but to obey a command to leave when we properly repent and use Christ’s authority. We need never find ourselves in a power struggle with a demon. It is always a truth and authority issue. Their power was destroyed at Calvary when Jesus rose from the dead.

In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NLT)

Once we remove any “platform” or “hook” a demon may have used to oppress us through repentance and renouncing, it is an easy matter to break their grip using the authority of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Enforcer of Christ’s victory and his authority. He comes to our aid when we do our part.

Once we properly distance ourselves from the occult, we will be ready to receive the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Bitterness

Nothing undercuts our life of grace and faith more than bitterness. The only way any of us can stand before God is because Abba Father forgave our sins based on Jesus’ taking the rap for us by paying the ultimate penalty of death. When we refuse to forgive others, in effect we reject what God did for us, showing that we believe that our standard of righteousness is even higher than God’s. He may be able to forgive, but we cannot. This is the height of pride and deception and grieves God’s heart.

When we nurse offenses, we are bound in a prison of our own making until we liberate ourselves by choosing to forgive those who have hurt us.

Jesus taught that when we refuse to forgive, God will turn us over to “tormentors,” so that we can learn to forgive. In his parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus said:

"Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33  'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?' 34  "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35  "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." Matthew 18:32-35 (NASB)

Once we suffer for a while, hopefully we will decide that holding onto our bitterness is not worth the price.

I have found that when we are bitter, we have a difficult time receiving anything from God.

We usually cannot hear his voice because our hearts are hard. Hardness of heart is the scariest thing that happen to anyone, and bitterness is a sure sign that we have that condition. Only tenderhearted people can forgive and receive from God.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NASB)

If we harbor bitterness of any kind, it is paramount that we release those who have offended us, so that we can be free to receive all that God has given to us.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anyone we need to forgive. If anyone comes to mind, we should say out loud that we release them from owing us anything and ask God to wash us clean from all traces of unforgiveness. We let go of the debt. Now they are accountable only to God and we are free. If appropriate, we may need to meet with them later to reconcile.

Wrong Motives

The last obstacle we may need to overcome has to do with wrong motives, such as ambition, pride, and the love of money. James wrote the following warning.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3 (NASB)

God blesses us with the baptism in the Spirit to equip and empower us to be his witnesses. If we are seeking this gift for a less than honorable reason, he may withhold this amazing blessing for our own good until we repent. God gave us an example of this in the book of Acts.

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19  saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20  But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21  You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Acts 8:18-21 (ESV)

I have occasionally encountered people with issues that God insisted they get right before receiving the baptism in the Spirit, but it is not the norm.

If the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart that you need to get something right with him, please listen and do what he says.

Conclusion

Now that we have identified and hopefully overcome some of the major obstacles to receiving God’s blessings, we are ready to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which will be the topic of the next chapters.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Which obstacle seems to be the most significant to you?
  • Has this teaching helped you regarding any particular obstacle?

 

Want to know more? I have written a book on this very topic, which is available on Amazon. Click here to find out more.
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Developing Teamwork in the Local Church between Government and the Prophetic Ministry

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this article I will look at the relationship between church government and the prophetic ministry. These two broad categories of responsibility and serving sometimes come into unnecessary conflict due to a lack of understanding of how they should properly relate. The body is Christ functions best when each part works in harmony with the Head, Jesus Christ. God created mankind to experience a wonderful dependence upon him and an interdependence with one another. In the local church, the proper cooperation between government and the prophetic ministry is an example of this. When government and the prophetic properly work together, great power and authority will be released.

And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8 (NET1)

An Overview of Biblical Government

Another word for church government is the episcopate, which basically means those who oversee. Peter used this word in speaking about eldership:

Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly. 3 And do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:2-3 (NET1)

One purpose of the episcopate is to help people grow to maturity in faith and their relationship with the Lord.

Overseers should see their people in a similar way as a father would a son or daughter. The hope and expectation is for the child to grow to maturity and have less and less need for the father in day to day affairs. The relationship will remain intact, but its nature changes dramatically over time as the child grows to maturity and gains greater responsibility and latitude to operate.

I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm. 2 Corinthians 1:24 (NET1)

Our Lord vests responsibility and authority in the episcopate, which includes such leadership ministries as pastor and elder in the local church setting. The writer of Hebrews mentions both aspects of government, leadership and oversight, in the following scripture:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you. Hebrews 13:17 (NET1)

In this article, by “government” I mean those who have oversight and leadership responsibilities in the local assembly.

This would include persons with “five-fold ministry” gifts, such as the pastor, as well as the governing elders. It could also include other leadership people, such as small group leaders, youth leaders, etc., but I will limit this discussion to pastor and elders.

Those in government have been given the overall responsibility to oversee, nurture, and protect the flock. As such, their main gifts likely will be faith, leadership, wisdom, strategy, discerning of spirits, and administration. There should also be a strong teaching component to this ministry of feeding or nurturing the flock. Those in government who are also part of the “five-fold” ministry will also have gifts to build up the body and equip it for ministry through pastoring, teaching, and prophecy, as well as through the apostolic and evangelistic impartation of Christ. Since these five-fold ministers have both a governmental anointing and a ministerial gifting, we will include them with government in this discussion.

Leadership is the ability and grace God gives to a person that enables him (or her) to effectively lead others in the direction God wants them to go. When a person endowed with leadership vision and gifting comes under the Lordship of Christ, God will give him the responsibility and the authority needed to lead. God’s command to the leader is to be diligent, eager, earnest, and zealous. The great need of the leader is vision, courage, and wisdom.

… if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence… Romans 12:8 (NET1)

Some Generalities about Ministry

“Ministry” includes those people in the church whom God gifts to serve in any capacity, besides governmental oversight.

Another word for these people is the “diaconate.” Ministry is a very broad category, and, for this reason, in this discussion, I will narrow my focus to the prophetic-intercessory ministry. The general principles that apply to it in the governmental-ministerial relationship will be true for every other ministry person, as he or she relates to the oversight team in the church.

Prophetic people have the ability and skill to operate in the gift of prophecy and some other gifts of the Spirit such as the word of knowledge. (Here I am not including “five-fold” ministry “prophets,” which I have made part of governmental oversight. This is not a hard and fast rule, but simply how I have divided things. In this article, I identify the “prophetic” ministry with those who simply are able to operate in the gift of prophecy.)

The prophetic ministry is comprised of those people in the church who have the ability to “hear” God in a special way and pass that along to God’s people for exhortation, edification, and comfort. (1 Cor. 14:3) The prophetic ministry relates chiefly to the ability to “see” and “hear” and “know,” especially in the spiritual realm.

In the Old Testament, prophets originally were called “seers.” Prophecy requires those who operate in it to receive revelation from God in the form of visions, dreams, thoughts, and words, which they pass along to God’s people, as is appropriate, timely, and edifying. It goes without saying that any such revelation is subject to God’s truth as revealed in the Scriptures.

The LORD said, “Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream. Numbers 12:6 (NET1)

Intercessory prayer people, who have a prophetic gift, can use this spiritual ability to assist them in praying; therefore, the prophetic ministry can include those who operate in intercessory prayer ministry, worship leadership, counseling, and anyone else who believes he or she is hearing from God for the church corporately or for individuals. Prophetic intercessors seem to have a valid ability to gain understanding from God concerning how to pray for individuals and ministries. In the local church, they seem to have insight into what God is doing or going to do or what the enemy may be up to. For this reason they are included in the same group as the prophetic ministry, who may use their gift for personal ministry to individuals and leaders or to speak messages to the entire church during an assembly.

God’s command to the prophetic person is to stay within the limitations of his or her own faith.

And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. Romans 12:6 (NET1)

If we are prophetic, we should never let anyone or a desire to look good lead us to go beyond our faith when prophesying.

The great need for the prophetic person is to be under authority and properly related to the government of the church.

If we are prophetic, we must remember that our ministry is partially to assist the oversight team in their responsibility to lead and oversee as God desires, not to usurp their authority. If we believe we have heard God regarding things that are properly under the purview of the governmental ministry, we should share those things in such a way that leadership will not feel as if we are putting pressure on them. We should always strive to be “under authority” when speaking as representatives of God to the oversight ministry.

The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him. John 7:18 (NET1)

How Government and Ministry Relate

The lead elder or “pastor” in a congregation is normally a person who is gifted in both government and ministry gifts. This person is part of the “five-fold” ministry mentioned in Ephesians 4:11, whose purpose is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. A lead elder’s ministry gift may not be in the realm of the prophetic, but may rather be teaching, pastoring, evangelizing, or the apostolic.

All those whom God calls and appoints to function in church government will have a leadership gift and grace to be able to oversee the church by making judgments and decisions based on the wisdom and understanding God gives.

A person with governmental responsibility and authority from God may or may not have extraordinary pulpit ministry gifts. For example, an elder may not have a strong ministry gifting, such as teaching or preaching, but will have a strong governmental gifting and be able to teach, as needed.

The authority connected with the prophetic or other non-governmental ministry is different from the authority vested in governmental leaders. Those who prophesy and give revelations from the Lord, unless they are five-fold prophets, generally only have the authority of the message itself; whereas, those in government carry authority in themselves, as delegated representatives of Christ’s authority and as part of their appointment to govern.

(However, this does not mean that leaders are infallible or that I am in any way espousing a domineering authoritarian type of rule in the church. Government has its own checks and balances, which I am not addressing in this article.)

In other words, God asks those in the prophetic diaconate to submit their word or revelation for others to judge with reference to how it agrees with the written Word of God and whether there is a sense that the Spirit is indeed speaking through them. The responsibility to judge prophecy falls especially on those who are prophetically gifted and who have governmental responsibility. The prophetic word or revelation will then stand or fall on its own merits.

The foundation for an effective teamwork between the governmental and prophetic begins with understanding the nature of the authority vested in each and working within those limitations.

Those who have a strong governmental anointing have an ability to discern, interpret, judge wisely, and make sound decisions. The gift of leadership carries with it an ability to discern God’s plan and timing. A leader does receive revelation from God; although, it is not always in exactly the same way as the prophetic person. The leader has vision given by God for what could and should be regarding God’s overall plan. He also has intuition and insight concerning where God is going and when it is time to move forward or wait. This is part of the basis for his or her leadership.

The prophetic person, on the other hand, often sees things and understands God’s plan and purpose long before the time for it to be fulfilled, in order that he or she may pray and prophesy it into being, as opposed to being the actual leader or activator of the event.

Take the example of Samuel and David. Samuel had the prophetic picture and anointed David to be the next king but did not personally have the calling or gifting to be the king. Neither Samuel nor David knew exactly when or how God would bring David’s kingship to pass, however.

The prophetic person may see a revelation painted in broad brush strokes, but lack the governmental wisdom to know how and when the purpose of God will come to pass, or even when the revelation should be made known to others.

The governmental person may not “see” all aspects of the prophetic picture right away, but he or she knows enough about where God is going to discern how the prophetic insight does or does not fit into the overall scheme of things, at least for the moment.

To put it another way, the governmental person often does not see all that the prophetic person sees. The prophetic person often does not understand what the governmental person knows through wisdom and governmental intuition. (When we operate in our God-given gift, we are intuitive, knowing things beyond what we can explain.) This can create a tension that may lead to big problems if a proper teamwork relationship is not established and maintained. Both parties must develop a relationship of trust based on proven faithfulness, which takes time.

How to Build Trust and a Working Relationship

In order to function well in a teamwork relationship, the prophetic person needs to know that the governmental person takes his or her prophetic gifting seriously, even though what he or she shares may not always be acted upon or even received as a word from God that must be obeyed. The prophetic person also needs to know that the governmental person will seek God about any supposed revelation that is shared.

Conversely, a governmental person needs to know that a prophetic person is willing to follow his or her leadership, even if it does not line up with the prophetic person’s understanding. The governmental ministry needs to know that the prophetic ministry is willing to have its revelations judged by those in the governmental ministry, and the prophetic ministry needs to have confidence in the wisdom and discernment of the governmental ministry to properly judge prophetic revelations. Ultimately, this means prophetic people believe that God is able to direct those in government as he wishes.

Leaders must refrain from speaking in a negative way about those in the intercessory/prophetic ministry, and those who are prophetic must learn to uphold their leaders in prayer and with their words and actions.

When the government and prophetic really respect and appreciate one another, a deep bond can develop and the ministry will thrive. One way or another, however, these relationships will be tested. You can count on that.

The Four-legged Table

For a four-legged table to firmly stand, each leg must be in place. The four legs of wise governmental decisions are listed below.

  • The right thing. We must discern what God wants to do. E.g. David discerned that it was good to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 13:5)
  • The right way. We must discern how God wants His will to be done. E.g. David at first failed to understand that the Ark must be carried on the shoulders of the Levites. Instead he placed it on an ox cart. God disciplined Israel for using the wrong method, but later blessed them when the Levites were used to transport the Ark God’s appointed way. (1 Chronicles 13:12; 15:2)
  • The right person. David was correct in wanting to build a proper temple to honor the Lord, but he was not the right person to carry it out. The prophetic ministry revealed that God had selected Solomon instead. David made all the preparations and shared with his son the plans God had revealed to him, making it easier for Solomon to succeed in the enterprise. David was humble enough to accept God’s choice of the right person. So must we be.
  • The right timing. Abraham had a promise from God that he would have a son, but he jumped the gun in his impatience and begot Ishmael. If we get ahead of (or behind) God’s timing, all sorts of problems may result.
So Jesus replied, “My time has not yet arrived, but you are ready at any opportunity! John 7:6 (NET1)

Tension between government and the prophetic is possible at each point. Will God reveal the thing, the way, the person, and the timing through the leader or a prophetic person? We never know in advance and must remain open. God’s timing is perhaps our greatest challenge.

For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter… Ecclesiastes 8:6 (NET1)

How often have we rushed into doing something that we knew was God’s will, only to fall on our faces because it was not God’s timing? The prophetic and government must seek God together to discern God’s proper timing.

Timing is everything in the Kingdom of God, and carelessness here is very detrimental and presumptuous. Prophets and leaders must learn to control their impatience in this area.

Sometimes God might withhold revelation of what to do from a leader because it is not yet time to do anything. The prophetic person may see the revelation long before the leader and need to prayerfully wait until the leader sees it, too, when it is God’s time to act upon it. All this is tied to God’s timing. Both the prophetic and government are tested on this one.

The prophetic person must pray and believe while God waits to reveal the plan to the governmental leader. This requires the prophetic person to have confidence that God will speak effectively to his leaders at the appointed time.

It’s more a trust issue with God than it is with the leader; but it may not be perceived that way. The prophetic person may mistrust the leader and think that God is actually speaking but the leader is not hearing. Prophetic ministries may be tempted to judge the leadership at this point and might perhaps launch out on their own, creating a division in the church or team.

Another problem is when the leader may be tempted to do something he is unsure of just because of the influence of the prophetic person. The prophetic person may seem so confident that it can be intimidating to an inexperienced leader, who has not become convinced that God will tell him everything he or she needs to know. Conversely, a leader may become defensive or negative toward a prophetic person and cease being open to their input. The leader must learn to trust in his God-given leadership gift and be open and thankful for input.

Keys to Effective Teamwork

  1. Mutual appreciation and trust
    • It is the leader’s responsibility to cultivate that atmosphere in the church by taking the lead in affirming other ministries and explaining how team ministry happens under God’s authority.
    • It is the prophetic person’s job to earn that trust by properly submitting to authority and returning appreciation to the leader.
  2. Permission
    • The primary responsibility for the welfare of the sheep falls upon the lead elder of the church.
    • If he is wise, he will employ as many people as possible in the task of pastoring, taking advantage of the various pastoral gifts in the church.
    • All those people who co-shepherd with him are doing so “with permission” since they derive their responsibility and authority from the lead elder, who gets his from Christ. We should not be engaged in our own self-directed independent ministry.
    • Delegated authority and ministry must make it their job to make the lead elder successful in his responsibility of shepherding the church.
  3. Deference
    • Those who are assisting the lead elder in ministry and oversight should honor those who are in authority over them.
    • Practically speaking, this involves deferring to them in matters that require higher-level pastoral involvement, such as when there are marital problems or any situation that requires counseling or decision making on a deeper level.
    • In other words, if a delegated ministry or authority has any question at all about how to properly handle a situation, he should defer to the one in authority over him.
    • He or she should follow all guidelines given him by the one in authority.
  4. Freedom
    • The one in authority must clearly define and communicate what are the guidelines he expects those under authority to follow.
    • As a working relationship is developed over time, more and more freedom can be given to the one under authority as they prove themselves faithful.
    • The goal is to produce a ministry team that thoroughly understands its individual roles, and within those roles, has great freedom to operate and initiate. Those under authority will be given authority. The goal is to produce mature ministers who know how to hear God and make decisions without having to be micro-managed.

Conclusion

If we fail to work together, the church will be hurt, the work slowed, and individuals will be held back from ministerial and leadership maturity. The prophetic can never reach its potential unless it works under and alongside church government. The government has the authority that can more fully release the prophetic. In addition, the government will never be able to discern all it needs to without the prophetic. The prophetic has the insight and revelation to help make the government a success.

Tips for Going Forward

  • The governmental ministry should take initiative to teach these principles to the church and especially to those in the prophetic-intercessory ministry. It is good to review these principles with all new members.
  • The governmental ministry should discuss these principles with the governmental and prophetic ministries in the church.
  • Guidelines for ministry should be set up and communicated.
  • The governmental ministry should regularly show their respect for the prophetic ministry in front of the church.
  • People in the prophetic ministry should communicate their desire to be under authority privately and publicly to the church.
  • When governmental leaders override the input of the prophetic ministry, it should be done in the fear of the Lord and with humility.
  • When prophetic ministers think they see or understand something before the governmental ministry does, they must be careful to maintain proper respect for the leadership and not undermine their authority before other people or in their own hearts, giving them space to hear God for themselves.
  • When leaders finally act upon input from the prophetic ministry, the latter should not be surprised that it will appear to be the leader’s own idea. This is part of the humility required of the prophetic ministry.
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Overcoming Bitterness and Wrong Motives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For many people, several obstacles may need to be overcome before receiving the baptism in the Spirit. My previous article in this series illustrated how to deal with past occult involvement. This article looks at how to overcome bitterness and other wrong motives.

 

 

Bitterness

Nothing undercuts our life of grace and faith more than bitterness. When we hold onto past or present offenses against God and others, we imprison ourselves and block the riches of God’s blessings from having free flow in our lives. The only way any of us can stand before God is because Abba Father forgave our sins based on Jesus’ taking the rap for us by paying the ultimate penalty of death. When we refuse to forgive others, in effect we reject what God did for us, showing that we believe that our standard of righteousness is even higher than God’s. He may be able to forgive, but we cannot. This is the height of pride and deception, and grieves God’s heart.

When we nurse offenses, we are bound in a prison of our own making until we liberate ourselves by choosing to forgive those who have hurt us.

Jesus taught that when we refuse to forgive, God will turn us over to “tormentors,” so that we can learn to forgive. In his parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus said:

"Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33  'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?' 34  "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35  "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." Matthew 18:32-35 (NASB)

Once we suffer a while, hopefully we will decide that holding onto our bitterness is not worth the price.

I have found that when we are bitter we have a difficult time receiving anything from God. We usually cannot hear his voice because our hearts are hard.

Hardness of heart is the scariest thing that happen to anyone, and bitterness is a sure sign that we have that condition. Only tenderhearted people can forgive and receive from God.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NASB)

If we harbor bitterness of any kind, it is paramount that we release those who have offended us, so that we can be free to receive all that God has given to us.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anyone we need to forgive. If anyone comes to mind, we should say out loud that we release them from owing us anything and ask God to wash us clean from all traces of unforgiveness. We let go of the debt. Now they are accountable only to God and we are free. If appropriate, we may need to meet with them later to reconcile.

To learn more about forgiveness – what it is and is not – click here.

Wrong Motives

The last obstacle we may need to overcome has to do with wrong motives, such as ambition, pride, and the love of money. James wrote the following warning.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3 (NASB)

God blesses us with the baptism in the Spirit to equip and empower us to be his witnesses. If we are seeking this gift for a less than honorable reason, he may withhold this amazing blessing for our own good until we repent.

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19  saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20  But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21  You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Acts 8:18-21 (ESV)

I have occasionally encountered people with issues that God insisted they get right before receiving the baptism in the Spirit, but it is not the norm.

If the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart that you need to get something right with him, however, please listen and do what he says.

Conclusion

Now that we have identified some of the major obstacles to receiving God’s blessings, we have a responsibility to use our knowledge and do whatever we need to do in order to remove them. If we do our part, God will certainly do his. He desires to bless us beyond our comprehension. We must not allow anything to interfere!

The next article will show exactly how to receive the baptism in the Spirit. Are you ready? Are you hungry? Good. God will not disappoint you.

 

Want to know more? I have written a book on this very topic, which is available on Amazon. Click here to find out more.
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