Jesus wept!! ??

In Sunday school John 11:35 was my favourite verse. It simply reads, "Jesus wept",  the shortest verse in the bible. In John 11, Jesus is informed that the brother of Mary and Martha, Lazarus, had fallen ill and later He is told that he had died. John 11:35 occurs when Mary, hearing that the Lord had finally arrived goes to meet Him. In context, it would appear that Jesus was grieved on losing a dear friend; as if the Giver of Life was at that moment, overwhelmed by death. 

However, last night the Spirit of God showed me something amazing. In Young's Literal Translation, the verse reads "Jesus....did groan in the spirit, and troubled himself (vs 33)". So He weeps in vs 35. Again at the tomb of Lazarus the Word says, "Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself, cometh to the tomb (vs 38)". Beloved, in both the verses preceding the ones I have mentioned, there are strong elements of unbelief.

 In vs 32 Jesus heard Mary say, "Sir, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died" and in vs 37 the mourners say of Him, "Was not this one, who did open the eyes of the blind man, able to cause that also this one might not have died". Beloved, the Son of God, Life Himself had stepped into the scene and yet "they knew Him not". 

Jesus did not grieve for Lazarus as many may say; He was troubled to tears at the unbelief, even from Mary who had sat at His feet and heard words of Life (Like 10:42). He had clearly told Martha, "I am the rising again (resurrection), and the life; he who is believing in me, even if he may die, shall live (vs 25)". The Giver of Life does NOT compromise with death.

Jesus knew what He was going to do. So He walks up to the tomb, prays what seems to be one of the shortest recorded prayers; where He says, "Father, I thank Thee, that Thou didst hear me; and I knew that Thou always dost hear me, but, BECAUSE OF THE MULTITUDE THAT IS STANDING BY, I said [it], that THEY MAY BELIEVE that Thou didst send me (vs 41-42)",  and calls out to the one who was dead for four days and "HE COMES BACK TO LIFE (vs 44)"!!! Hallelujah!!

You see beloved, the Lord knew what He would do, for when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He said, "This ailment is NOT unto death, but for the GLORY of GOD, that the SON OF GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED through it (vs 4)"; and when He heard that the sick man had died, He purposely delayed His arrival in Bethany saying, "Lazarus our friend HATH FALLEN ASLEEP, but I go on that I MAY AWAKE HIM (vs 11)". 

He knew that God would glorify Him in this miracle before it even happened. So when He weeps, He weeps not in grief but because He was walking among His own but His own KNEW HIM NOT (John 1:11). 

Beloved the Holy Spirit has revealed the deep things of God to us today. As Paul says, "but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV). These things have been revealed to us for a reason, "For the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the LORD, every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God." (Romans 14:11)" and beloved we are that chosen generation. 

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you (Isaiah 60:1). "

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.." (John 14:6). Choose Jesus, choose life!! Shalom!! :-D

Of the Doctrine of Baptisms: Tongues (Part 2 of 3)

Jesus said, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18 NIV)

  

Beloved speaking in tongues is for the New Covenant believers. However, Pastor Joseph Prince speaks also of a Jewish Rabbinical teaching which says that in the days of the Letter, when a high priest would go into the Holy of holies, for the brief moment (when he would commune with God) the Shekinah glory of God would descend and for that time the high priest would speak in another tongue. Isn't that amazing, a supernatural gift previously reserved for a privileged few under the Old Covenant is freely available to all those who believe in Jesus Christ today. Hallelujah!!

Paul took a whole chapter in his first letter to the Corinthians to explain speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14), the gift of tongues and the ministry of tongues. So this bible study is dedicated to this beautiful gift which we receive as the Lord Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. Another amazing truth is that this is the ONLY gift of the Spirit which operates as we choose; all the other gifts operate as and when the Spirit wills but the gift of tongues manifests when a believer speaks out in faith. Hallelujah!!

Why tongues

Beloved, the book of Genesis records the account of people wanting to build a tower that would reach up to heaven; the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). God foiled their egoistic endeavor by making them speak in diverse tongues. So that one could not understand the other and they could not co ordinate with each other to finish building the tower. Under the new covenant the gift of diverse tongues is bestowed upon those who believe and this helps UNITE people of diverse social and geographical backgrounds. 

On the day of Pentecost the Jewish Proselytes from various countries marveled as they heard Galilean fishermen speak in foreign tongues; 3000 were saved that day (Acts 2) as it was beyond doubt a sign from God, a manifestation of the power of the LIVING YAHWEH.

Brother Dhinakaran talks about two kinds on tongues in his book “the Gifts of the Holy Spirit”; tongues which are languages used in the world and a heavenly tongue. Paul urges those who speak in tongues to pray that they may also interpret (1 Corinthians 14:13), as the interpretation of a message in tongues is beneficial to all whilst speaking in tongues to God is for personal edification(1 Corinthians 14:4). At the infilling of the Holy Ghost a believer may speak in either of the types of tongues, as the Spirit gives utterance. Brother Dhinakaran talks of an incident where an unbelieving man standing outside the church heard a little girl speak fluently in Hebrew as she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later the same man came to Dhinakaran to inquire about the strange phenomenon and was saved. What changed his mind was the manifestation of the Spirit. The manifestation of the Spirit is for each individual for the BENEFIT of ALL (1 Corinthians 12:7). Hallelujah!!

Brother Hagin speaks of a time when a believer newly filled with the Holy Spirit spoke for a while in tongues and another person interpreted it saying that “Jesus was coming soon”. Many in that congregation rejoiced. But brother Hagin understood (and confirmed with other experienced men of God) that the Spirit was helping the newly baptized believer pray for certain things in his own life. Beloved, misinterpreting tongues or wrongly interpreting divine utterances without the unction of the Holy Ghost is wrong and it greatly harms the congregation. That is why Paul urges those who speak in tongues to speak to themselves unless they or anyone else have an interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:28).

To summarize, a believer speaks in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and a believer may an interpretation ONLY when the Spirit gives it.

Immediately after the baptism in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God helps a believer to pray with moaning and groaning which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26). These prayers are generally to edify the believer; to make him/her a ready vessel to be used by God. At this stage it is not right for a believer to try to interpret his/her utterances. Beloved the gift of interpretation of tongues manifests only as the Spirit wills, it is NOT our job to interpret. At this stage it is wise to speak as much as possible in tongues, to pray effective prayers guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and usher in the manifestation of the all the other gifts as the Spirit wills. This is what Paul urges Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 1:6.

Pastor Joseph Prince points out that the gift of tongues is the only gift that ushers in the manifestation of all other gifts. Beloved, there are days when I speak a lot in tongues. Those are the days I am most happy and more at rest, despite any issue which may arise.  I have seen for myself that on those days I end up being more productive at work and am unknowingly am brought to the right place at the right time. Paul said, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” (1 Corinthians 14:18) I believe that what God could do in the life of Paul had a strong correlation with how much time he spent speaking in tongues. This is how the Apostle edified himself. Hallelujah!! Pastor Prince speaks of a missionary in China who began speaking in tongues for 15 minutes a day and saw remarkable progress in her ministry.

Biblical Evidences

There is a prophecy in Isaiah 28:11, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.” Paul quotes this in 1 Corinthians 14:21, he says, “In the Law it is written: "With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."

 The only evidence indicating the infilling of the Holy Ghost is that Spirit filled believer speaks in strange tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. (We will discuss the diversities of tongues in another study.) For now let us look at what the Bible says on the infilling of the Spirit and the gift of tongues.

Beloved, in Acts 2:4 when the disciples in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in other tongues and magnify God (Acts 2:11). People from various nations who had gathered in Jerusalem that day (for the feast of the Pentecost) heard them speak in their own different languages and were surprised to see Galilean fishermen speak in foreign languages (Acts 2:6).

(Note: Beloved, tongues is a miraculous sign, it is for the unbeliever, a sign to make them believe (1 Corinthians 14:22) and for the believer, a powerful gift unto his/her spiritual, emotional and even physical edification (1 Corinthians 14:4)).

At the house of Cornelius, Peter and the other Jewish disciples knew that the same gift or anointing which they had received in the Upper Room was poured out on the gentile family when they heard the entire household of Cornelius speak in tongues (Acts 10:45-46).

Acts 19:6 records that when Paul laid hands on the disciples of Apollos, they began to speak in other tongues and prophesy.

These three instances indicate that every time a believer is baptized in the Spirit; the Breath of God gives them the utterance to speak out in an unknown language.

It is safe to put inside your mouth

According to Leviticus 11:3, the Jews are only allowed to eat those animals which have cloven hooves. Beloved, the tongues like as of fire which came and rested on the heads of all those gathered in the upper room were cloven tongues (Acts 2:3). It was a beautiful sign, through which God was telling them that it was safe, it was kosher, for them to put it in their mouths.

In the book of Joshua, the Lord instructs Joshua saying, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8 KJV) The Hebrew word for meditate is hagah, which literally means to mutter under one’s breath all the time. Religious Jews keep muttering the Scriptures under their breath all the time. The Apostle Paul says, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” (Acts 14:18 ESV) Speaking in tongues is for the personal benefit of the believer (1 Corinthians 14:4). When a believer speaks in another tongue, he speaks mysteries to God (1 Corinthians 14:2), the Spirit stirs up his heart and prays perfect prayers in line with the Word (Romans 8:26) and he speaks unto his own edification (1 Corinthians 14:4)

In his letter to Timothy, he writes, “… I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands”. (2 Timothy 1:6 NIV).  Let us see in Acts 19:6 what happened when Paul laid hands on the disciples of Apollos, “And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” In the letter to Timothy Paul used the word charisma, for gift, which translates as a miraculous manifestation or a spiritual gift. Another word, in Greek, for gift is dorea, which Peter uses in Acts 2:38 when he urges the crowd to “"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Dorea is used whilst talking about a gift in the conventional sense, like a birthday gift, something tangible.

We receive the dorea of the Holy Spirit when we ask Jesus to baptize us and the Holy Spirit enables us to manifest or stir up the charisma which is in us because of His Presence in our lives. Hallelujah!!

Final Words

Beloved, the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a life altering event meant for everyone who believes in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Being born of water and Spirit is how we enter into the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). John the Baptist urged the people to repent, to change the way they think, because the kingdom of God was at hand. The Kingdom of God was ushered in when Jesus came with Grace and Truth. The same Kingdom of God, which Jesus asks us to seek first and above all else (Matthew 6:33), is not a fleshly kingdom, it is not of eating and drinking, it is RIGHTEOUSNESS (of God through the finished work of Jesus), PEACE (for which Jesus was chastised on our behalf) and JOY (everlasting undiluted unconditional joy which we have being justified freely through Grace by the redemption that we have in Christ Jesus) in the HOLY GHOST.

Beloved this is why the Spirit was sent on the Day of Pentecost. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, the same life giving power, the creative dunamis of El Shaddai that created the universe, dwelling in us; the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). This is what believers receive; this is our inheritance, our gift. The baptism in the Spirit is an unmerited, undeserved gift available freely because of the righteousness which we have through the finished work of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Hallelujah!!

Of the Doctrine of Baptisms (Part 1 of 3)

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1-2)

Beloved, the sixth chapter of Hebrews is a call to maturity. 1 Peter 2:2 says “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation”.

There is a time in our spiritual walk when we are just saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and are in that sweet spot where we tangibly feel the love of God embracing us each and every day of our new lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). At this point Peter explains that we are to desire the pure milk of the Word. Here we learn the basics; the foundations of perfection from dead works (freedom from the Law Galatians 3:13), of faith toward God (the righteousness that is available through faith 2 Corinthians 5:21), of the doctrine of Baptisms (Yes!! There are two Baptisms) and of laying on of hands (for healing the sick and for imparting/receiving the dorea gift of the Holy Spirit) and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement (a time will come when the dead will be raised, given eternal bodies and the unjust will be judged).

Now concerning the “doctrine of baptisms and laying on of hands”, many remain in a state of confusion and unbelief. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of ONLY ONE sin. That is the sin of UNBELIEF (John 16:8-9). And I am sure that the Spirit of Truth will shine this light through His word and clear every unbelieving thought from your minds and tear down every stronghold that is hindering you from grasping this life changing truth. Amen!

John the Baptist declared, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11 NIV) In Ephesus Paul asked the disciples of Apollos, “ “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism.” (Acts 19:2-3 NIV) Then Paul went on to explain, “John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:4-6 KJV)

Jesus said, “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”(Luke 24:49 NIV) And in another place it is written, “Gathering them together, He (Jesus) commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5 NIV)

Beloved the bible says, “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 17:6, 2 Corinthians 13:1). I have now presented you with three witnesses regarding the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the account of Matthew, that of Luke and of the Lord Himself. And two or three more come to mind which I am not mentioning here. This is one of the founding principles and an indispensible part of our spiritual lives. My dear friends seek the baptism in the Spirit with all your hearts. Jesus said, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13 NIV) Amen, Amen and Amen to this eternal truth. Praise the Lord!!

Who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit?

Beloved, John (the Baptist) made it clear that it is Jesus who would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and With Fire (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33). Wow!! I just realized that all the four gospels speak of this baptism and the One who baptizes. Imagine the importance of this wonderful baptism now. Hallelujah!! Isaiah 4:4 says, “The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.” Jesus is the one who baptizes you with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Luke 24:49)

When can we get baptized? Do we need to tarry like Jesus asked to in Acts 1?

Beloved, this is the best part. The answer to the above mentioned question is that God can baptize you RIGHT NOW. We will discuss this in the next study but as Jesus explains in Luke 11:13, the Father will in no way withhold this Gift from you, and you are to ask in Jesus’ name (John 14:13, John 16:23).

Some might erroneously say that you need to wait, to tarry.

Yes, Jesus did ask the disciples to wait in Jerusalem in Acts 1:7-8 but they were only to wait till the day of Pentecost had fully come (Acts 2:1-4). After the Pentecost, NO ONE had to tarry to receive the dorea gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul received the gift as soon as Ananias prayed for him (Acts 9:17), the fellowship at Cornelius’ house received the gift as Peter was speaking to them (Acts 10:44), the disciples of Apollos received when Paul laid hands on them (Acts 19:6). There you have it, three witnesses who disprove the erroneous message that we still have to tarry. Hallelujah!

Beloved, the household of Cornelius was not even baptised unto repentance, yet the Father poured out the Holy Spirit on them. Pastor Randy Clark speaks of a woman who heard a group singing in tongues and simple told God that she liked it and she wanted it, she was IMMEDIATELY filled with the Holy Ghost.  I know someone who has recently received the Holy Spirit in the same manner. Hallelujah, we serve a wonderful God.

John’s baptism was unto repentance, unto metanoea, the changing of the mind and the way we think, for the kingdom of God was at hand. This change occurs by the washing of water by the word.

Jesus once told His disciples, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3 NIV)

Paul says that the bridegroom (Jesus) will make His bride (the Church) holy “cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:26)

The baptism in water is a symbolic expression of the metanoea, the change in the way we perceive the Kingdom, which in truth happens ONLY and ONLY by the washing of water through the Word. Paul therefore urges the Romans, “Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

Hallelujah!!

To be continued…..