The Holy Spirit Has Come

THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME!

By Rodney W. Francis

My heart’s desire is that all who read this will be drawn into a closer relationship with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. For many years we have been confronted and questioned about the Person of the Holy Spirit, both personally and by mails from around the world. I trust that this message will give anyone doubting the reality of the Holy Spirit and His importance in our lives, and help to give a firm foundation upon which to build a life in the Holy Spirit. This is written to all who will approach the Scriptures with an open heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the blessing and truth of God’s Word in reality. This is what the Bible says (Jesus speaking): “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He is come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:7-15, NKJV).

Jesus’ concern that His followers receive and know “the Promise of the Father” (the Holy Spirit) is expressed also in Luke 24:49: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued (“to be clothed, to clothe one’s self” – Bullinger’s) with power from on high”.

This “power from on high” is the Holy Spirit enveloping our life and equipping us to fulfil the service of God. “Power” is translated from the Greek word “dunamis” meaning “natural capability, inherent power; capability of anything, ability to perform anything; then, absolutely, not merely power capable of action, but, power in action” – Bullinger’s). Dunamis is dynamite! The dunamis of God within us makes our Christian life go off with a powerful bang! Not destructively, but in a life-giving way. Jesus told His disciples to wait until they received that power.

Let’s consider Acts 1:4, 5 & 8, where again Jesus commanded His disciples to “wait for the Holy Spirit” (the Promise of the Father): “And being assembled together with them, He (Jesus) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now . . . But you shall receive power (dunamis) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses (“one who has information or knowledge of a thing, and can therefore give information concerning, bring to light or confirm anything" - Bullinger's) to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’”.

How tragic that so many Christians have disobeyed Jesus and, rather than being “endued with power from on high”, are content to live a second-rate life that is weak and ineffective.

We can never accomplish the work of God without the power of the Holy Spirit!

THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit came to the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost: “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

Look how their lives were revolutionized! They were changed from fearful, weak men (Mark 16:9-14) into dynamic bold witnesses for Jesus Christ in the midst of a hostile nation. Consider this: “’Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus’. And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness . . . And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:29-33).

After the infilling of the Holy Spirit those disciples of Jesus knew that they now carried a power and anointing to do things they had never done before. Peter declared to the man who had been crippled all his life: “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (see Chapter Acts 3). The result was a wonderful miracle of healing. “And he (Peter) took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them – walking, leaping, and praising God” (verses 7-8).

Through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was now alive inside those disciples and they carried on the ministry that Jesus demonstrated when He was on earth with them.

To those who would argue with this, the message of Peter, the Holy Spirit anointed man of God still applies today: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized (in water) in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (“setting free”) of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).

The excuse that the Holy Spirit infilling is not for today is no longer acceptable. It is a command from Jesus to receive Him. He said: “I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).

Do not prevent Him from filling you with the power of the Holy Spirit today!
He is God’s gift to you.
You need to know not only the blessing of the Holy Spirit, but that enduement of power to effectively witness unto Jesus by word and deed.
Jesus has sent Him!
Have you received Him yet?
Wait before the Lord until you be endued with His power from on high.

MY EXPERIENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I had a sovereign encounter with the Holy Spirit as an 18 year old. I was working on my father’s dairy farm at the time and was rounding up the cows at 5:30 a.m. for the morning’s milking. Out amongst the cows the Holy Spirit came on me and I began to speak in a language that I had never learned. It was the tongues language of the Holy Spirit and it just poured out of me. I do not remember how long this went on for, but I do know that when I stopped speaking in other tongues (that morning) I clearly heard the voice of the Lord telling me that He was calling me into ministry and that He would open doors for me to preach straight away. That is exactly what happened. Since that time I have had many encounters with the Holy Spirit where He has clearly guided me as to what to do, where to go, what to preach, etc. He led me to many nations around the world to preach, with signs, wonders and miracles. He called me to start The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry back in April 1964, and since that time it has grown from starting with 27 names and addresses to now touching multiplied thousands of lives in over 220 nations of the world. God spoke to me when I was still 18 and told me that if I got to know His voice and would do what He asked of me, that there would be nowhere that He and I could go together in the world and we not be successful. For one who grew up with a failure complex, that was great news indeed, and has been the motivation of my life since then. Hallelujah! God has surely proven His love and presence to me over the years! I know without a doubt that the Holy Spirit infilling is what every Christian needs today. Make very sure you are filled with Him!

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