Acts 1:6-8 – “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
In this passage, the disciples came to Jesus and asked concerning the kingdom, and the time in which it would be restored to Israel. I believe that Jesus Christ will reign upon this earth literally. I will not expound upon this truth here, but if it were otherwise so, I believe Christ would have corrected the disciples’ thinking right here. The disciples were looking for a literal kingdom to be restored to Israel, and the Lord did not correct them concerning the literal kingdom for which they were looking. If the disciples were indeed wrong to look for a literal kingdom, and the kingdom was spiritual only, this passage would have been an opportune time for the Lord to correct them. The Lord is always faithful to inform His people that, “If it were not so, I would have told you.”
But the Lord makes no such correction as to the disciples’ expectations of a coming literal kingdom. But the Lord does have a correction to make in regard to the disciples’ thinking. He does not correct them for looking for a literal kingdom, but He does correct them for their infatuation with the TIME in which this kingdom would come. Their question was, simply put, “Wilt thou AT THIS TIME restore the kingdom to Israel?” Christ does not answer their question directly, but states plainly, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.” Know this: there are some things I am not supposed to know. There are some things you are not to know. If preachers would learn this, we would be much better off than we are. Many preachers, when asked questions of certain kinds, often try to piece together an answer of some kind so they do not look ignorant. It is perfectly acceptable for a minister to give this answer to certain questions: “I don’t know.” There are simply some things that we do not know. There are simply some pieces of information that God Almighty withholds from even His ministers. It is not in our power to know everything. We are not supposed to know everything. God knows everything, and chooses to reveal some things to us, and chooses to withhold some things from us.
And one of those withheld truths is the time that the kingdom will be restored to Israel. But the disciples are encouraged not to fret! “The time of the kingdom is in the Father’s power, not yours,” they are told. “But there is something that the Father has put in your power,” Jesus tells them. When Jesus is coming is out of my power. When I will die, or how I will die, is out of my power. When Jesus will restore the kingdom to Israel is out of my power. But there is something that is within my reach, and I am to reach for it! Christ tells them of that which is within their power! He tells them, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The power to initiate the kingdom is out of our hands; but Holy Ghost power is in our hands!
Holy Ghost power is needed within the church today. Many seem to be afraid of the Holy Ghost and His power. Others seem to take it lightly. This precious doctrine regarding the Spirit of God has been abused by many today. But in spite of these abuses, the Holy Ghost is needed within the walls of our churches, as well as outside those walls.
Abuses of Holy Ghost Power
Like all other precious doctrines, the devil has set up counterfeits, mocked the true Holy Ghost, deceived churches into outlawing the Holy Ghost, and have turned off many to the true working of the Holy Ghost. But with all the abuses of this doctrine, I still preach that the church needs a fresh anointing of Holy Ghost power.
In a recent study, the first campmeeting in the United States that I could find occurred in 1801. Crowds ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 were gathered at Cane-Ridge in Logan County, Kentucky. The meeting began with three Presbyterian ministers, namely James McGready, William Hodges, and John Rankin. I may be ridiculed for my upcoming statements, but I will stand by them, and will be ready to defend them if called upon to do so.
In this meeting, it has been documented that there were many manifestations which I do not believe to be Biblical. It is stated that, in this meeting, people were “jerking.” I do not find “jerking” as a form of worship or as a manifestation of Holy Ghost power in the Bible. It is also recorded that people were “laughing in the Spirit.” Grandma may have done it; Gramps may have done it; your preacher may do it, but “laughing in the Spirit” is not found in the Bible. Show me where anyone in the Bible ever laughed as a form of worship, or because they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Sarah laughed because she did not believe what God said. But no one laughed in the Bible because they were in a state of worship. If I am wrong, correct me. At this same meeting, it is also recorded that the people were “barking like dogs.” This is blasphemous. To bark like a dog and associate it with the Holy Ghost is degrading to His person. But these things went on at the first campmeeting in the United States, and they went on in the name of the Holy Ghost (Wisburger, Bernard. They Gathered at the River. pp. 20, 21. New York. ©1958.).
This meeting is a prime example of an abuse of this great doctrine. More modern charismatic revivals have proven to be blasphemous. The Pensacola revival of just a few years ago, there were similar manifestations, including people “barking like dogs,” and “telling jokes in tongues.” All in the name of the Holy Ghost. This is sickening.
The Need for the True Holy Ghost
In spite of abuses such as these, the church is in need of the TRUE Holy Ghost power. Christ thought it so important for the church to be empowered with the Holy Ghost that He went back to heaven and prayed the Father to send the Holy Ghost to the church. Christ thought it so important for the church to be Holy Ghost filled that He clearly instructed His disciples NOT to witness; NOT to preach; NOT to teach; NOT to worship; as a matter of fact, NOT to do anything until they had tarried in Jerusalem for Holy Ghost power. Acts chapter two is the key to the rest of the book of Acts. Souls were saved; devils were cast out; Christians were taught clearly; jail doors opened; sick bodies were healed; and miracles were wrought by the hands of the apostles – all because the church of the book of Acts was a Holy Ghost filled church. As for those who believe that the Holy Ghost ceased to be poured out after the days of the apostles, I have often wondered what they do with Acts 2:39 – “For the promise [of the Holy Ghost] is unto you, and your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Then, as I read the rest of the book of Acts, I wonder what they do with the rest of the book! The church in the book of Acts was a Holy Ghost filled church! Their preaching was Christ-centered and it reached the heart of the hearers. Clearly, we need this power in 2011. You say, “Is this power available to us today?” I say, “It better be!” We had better have power to heal, because there is much sickness. We had better have power to see the filthy cleansed, because there is much filth. We had better have power to see the lost saved, the mouths of the skeptics to be shut, the prisoners in bondage to be set free. You may deny that we can have the power of the book of Acts, but you cannot deny that we have the problems of the book of Acts! And it is hard for me to believe that there are problems in our day that the Holy Ghost of our day does not have the power to solve. The power of the Holy Ghost is available to the church today, and we should not be content until are filled with the Holy Ghost.
TO BE CONTINUED…
In this passage, the disciples came to Jesus and asked concerning the kingdom, and the time in which it would be restored to Israel. I believe that Jesus Christ will reign upon this earth literally. I will not expound upon this truth here, but if it were otherwise so, I believe Christ would have corrected the disciples’ thinking right here. The disciples were looking for a literal kingdom to be restored to Israel, and the Lord did not correct them concerning the literal kingdom for which they were looking. If the disciples were indeed wrong to look for a literal kingdom, and the kingdom was spiritual only, this passage would have been an opportune time for the Lord to correct them. The Lord is always faithful to inform His people that, “If it were not so, I would have told you.”
But the Lord makes no such correction as to the disciples’ expectations of a coming literal kingdom. But the Lord does have a correction to make in regard to the disciples’ thinking. He does not correct them for looking for a literal kingdom, but He does correct them for their infatuation with the TIME in which this kingdom would come. Their question was, simply put, “Wilt thou AT THIS TIME restore the kingdom to Israel?” Christ does not answer their question directly, but states plainly, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.” Know this: there are some things I am not supposed to know. There are some things you are not to know. If preachers would learn this, we would be much better off than we are. Many preachers, when asked questions of certain kinds, often try to piece together an answer of some kind so they do not look ignorant. It is perfectly acceptable for a minister to give this answer to certain questions: “I don’t know.” There are simply some things that we do not know. There are simply some pieces of information that God Almighty withholds from even His ministers. It is not in our power to know everything. We are not supposed to know everything. God knows everything, and chooses to reveal some things to us, and chooses to withhold some things from us.
And one of those withheld truths is the time that the kingdom will be restored to Israel. But the disciples are encouraged not to fret! “The time of the kingdom is in the Father’s power, not yours,” they are told. “But there is something that the Father has put in your power,” Jesus tells them. When Jesus is coming is out of my power. When I will die, or how I will die, is out of my power. When Jesus will restore the kingdom to Israel is out of my power. But there is something that is within my reach, and I am to reach for it! Christ tells them of that which is within their power! He tells them, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The power to initiate the kingdom is out of our hands; but Holy Ghost power is in our hands!
Holy Ghost power is needed within the church today. Many seem to be afraid of the Holy Ghost and His power. Others seem to take it lightly. This precious doctrine regarding the Spirit of God has been abused by many today. But in spite of these abuses, the Holy Ghost is needed within the walls of our churches, as well as outside those walls.
Abuses of Holy Ghost Power
Like all other precious doctrines, the devil has set up counterfeits, mocked the true Holy Ghost, deceived churches into outlawing the Holy Ghost, and have turned off many to the true working of the Holy Ghost. But with all the abuses of this doctrine, I still preach that the church needs a fresh anointing of Holy Ghost power.
In a recent study, the first campmeeting in the United States that I could find occurred in 1801. Crowds ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 were gathered at Cane-Ridge in Logan County, Kentucky. The meeting began with three Presbyterian ministers, namely James McGready, William Hodges, and John Rankin. I may be ridiculed for my upcoming statements, but I will stand by them, and will be ready to defend them if called upon to do so.
In this meeting, it has been documented that there were many manifestations which I do not believe to be Biblical. It is stated that, in this meeting, people were “jerking.” I do not find “jerking” as a form of worship or as a manifestation of Holy Ghost power in the Bible. It is also recorded that people were “laughing in the Spirit.” Grandma may have done it; Gramps may have done it; your preacher may do it, but “laughing in the Spirit” is not found in the Bible. Show me where anyone in the Bible ever laughed as a form of worship, or because they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Sarah laughed because she did not believe what God said. But no one laughed in the Bible because they were in a state of worship. If I am wrong, correct me. At this same meeting, it is also recorded that the people were “barking like dogs.” This is blasphemous. To bark like a dog and associate it with the Holy Ghost is degrading to His person. But these things went on at the first campmeeting in the United States, and they went on in the name of the Holy Ghost (Wisburger, Bernard. They Gathered at the River. pp. 20, 21. New York. ©1958.).
This meeting is a prime example of an abuse of this great doctrine. More modern charismatic revivals have proven to be blasphemous. The Pensacola revival of just a few years ago, there were similar manifestations, including people “barking like dogs,” and “telling jokes in tongues.” All in the name of the Holy Ghost. This is sickening.
The Need for the True Holy Ghost
In spite of abuses such as these, the church is in need of the TRUE Holy Ghost power. Christ thought it so important for the church to be empowered with the Holy Ghost that He went back to heaven and prayed the Father to send the Holy Ghost to the church. Christ thought it so important for the church to be Holy Ghost filled that He clearly instructed His disciples NOT to witness; NOT to preach; NOT to teach; NOT to worship; as a matter of fact, NOT to do anything until they had tarried in Jerusalem for Holy Ghost power. Acts chapter two is the key to the rest of the book of Acts. Souls were saved; devils were cast out; Christians were taught clearly; jail doors opened; sick bodies were healed; and miracles were wrought by the hands of the apostles – all because the church of the book of Acts was a Holy Ghost filled church. As for those who believe that the Holy Ghost ceased to be poured out after the days of the apostles, I have often wondered what they do with Acts 2:39 – “For the promise [of the Holy Ghost] is unto you, and your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Then, as I read the rest of the book of Acts, I wonder what they do with the rest of the book! The church in the book of Acts was a Holy Ghost filled church! Their preaching was Christ-centered and it reached the heart of the hearers. Clearly, we need this power in 2011. You say, “Is this power available to us today?” I say, “It better be!” We had better have power to heal, because there is much sickness. We had better have power to see the filthy cleansed, because there is much filth. We had better have power to see the lost saved, the mouths of the skeptics to be shut, the prisoners in bondage to be set free. You may deny that we can have the power of the book of Acts, but you cannot deny that we have the problems of the book of Acts! And it is hard for me to believe that there are problems in our day that the Holy Ghost of our day does not have the power to solve. The power of the Holy Ghost is available to the church today, and we should not be content until are filled with the Holy Ghost.
TO BE CONTINUED…
