Spirit Life in these Last Days*

     We are seeing an increase of lawlessness and corruption in these last days. The purpose of the "five-fold" ministry gifts to the church according to Eph. 4 is to equip the saints to be built up and unified in Christ. The church or Ekklesia, is defined as the called-out assembly of God's people, but there is no evidence that the church is practicing 2 Chron. 7:14 and seeking God's face in repentance. The church is turning instead to the things of the world. Does the church understand what it means to lead a Holy Spirit filled life?

     Man's life began with the breath, or Spirit, of God: "And the LORD formed (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega in Greek, the reference to Christ in Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13), man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (nefesh in Hebrew)." (Gen. 2:7). In Genesis, from the very beginning, the LORD who created all is written in Hebrew as Elohim aleph-tav, having the reference to Jesus Christ in His name. God used the Aleph-Tav in creation.

     After the crucifixion of Jesus, His disciples hid themselves in a place with the doors shut "for fear of the Jews", but then Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then Jesus said to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." (Jn. 20:19-23). Jesus breathed on them for spiritual life, and with it, He imparted to them spiritual authority. This life and authority come by the Holy Spirit as He lives inside the believer.

     We then read that the disciple Thomas had not been with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them (after His resurrection). When they told Thomas of the Lord's appearance in their midst, Thomas said that he would not believe unless he touched the wounds in the Lord's hands and side himself (v. 24-25).  Eight days later, the disciples, including Thomas, had again been gathered together with the doors shut (but not in fear this time) when Jesus appeared again in their midst and appealed directly to Thomas, inviting him to touch His wounds. Jesus said, "...be not faithless, but believing." (v. 26-27). Thomas acknowledged his faith saying to Jesus, "My Lord and my God." Jesus answered Thomas: "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (v. 28-29). We have not seen Jesus, but we believe. The Shroud of Turin also is a gift of physical evidence, so that those like Thomas may look at the wounds on the image of Christ, and believe (see Isa. 52:14-15).

     Paul wrote about the mystery of the Gospel, the eternal purpose that God placed in Jesus Christ in whom we have boldness and access to God. Paul prayed to the Father "that he would grant you, according to his riches in glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness (pleroma - body of believers filled with the presence, power, agency/authority, riches of God and Christ) of God." (Eph. 3:9-21, excerpt). The Spirit strengthens us and fills us. Daniel prophesied that the people of God would be strong and do exploits. It is the Holy Spirit in us that fulfills Daniel's prophecy. God is able to do more than we can even imagine "according to the power (of the Spirit) that worketh in us" (v. 20). 

     Paul made a heart-felt request to the church of believers, begging them from his prison "that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forebearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (Eph. 4:1-7). The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of unity in the Body of Christ, yet there has been rivalry and even warfare between denominations, and we see various denominations teaching abominations in the name of God. The offices of the church (see v. 11) are to equip the saints, and to bring the saints to the Holy Spirit unity of the faith until we walk as the perfect man, in the fulness of Christ (v. 12-13). Has this been achieved in the earth? Paul told the church to speak the truth in love that we might be able to grow up into Christ, the head of all things (v. 15). This means calling sin, sin, as the prophet Isaiah warned (Isa. 5:20).

     The blessing of Abraham has become available to us through Christ, which is the Holy Spirit: "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Gal. 3:14). Are we walking in this? Why not? It was paid for on the Cross. Because God sent His Son we are redeemed and have become sons of God: "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." (Gal. 4:1-6). We are not only sons of God by the Spirit, but heirs of God through Christ (v. 7). 

     Paul wrote about the difference between life lived in the flesh and life lived in the Holy Spirit: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death...That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit...they that are in the flesh cannot please God...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal flesh by his Spirit that dwelleth in you...as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." (Rom. 8:1-16, excerpt). God is Spirit, and He has allowed us to receive of His Spirit. God raises us from the dead because of His Spirit dwelling in us through Christ. By His Spirit, He has changed us from slaves to the law of sin and death into sons of life and righteousness and heirs with Christ to glorification (v. 17). Not only does Paul's exhortation for us to walk in the Spirit change our lives, but it changes the creation: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." (v. 18-19). We are not manifesting the glory of Spirit life when we are hiding ourselves behind church walls. Without the Spirit we cannot witness as the children of God.

     Paul made it plain that the Lord expected the believers in Christ to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. At Ephesus, Paul asked the disciples there: "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:1-2). These believers had not heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and told Paul that they had been baptized into the baptism of John (the Baptist), which is a baptism of repentance. Paul informed them that there was another baptism in Jesus who came after John: When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord. And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." (v. 5-6). Paul demonstrated himself the boldness and fearlessness of one who has the Spirit of God as he continued speaking boldly in the area, despite those who spoke evil of the faith, and in the course of two years, all of the people in Asia "heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (v. 8-10). Not only did the people hear the Word from Paul, but God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul. Even handkerchiefs and aprons (possibly prayer shawls) from Paul's body were sent to the sick and to those who were plagued by evil spirits, and they were healed and delivered. (v. 11-12, see also Jn. 14:12). We have also always sent prayer cloths to the sick and have received many miracle testimonies as a result.

     When others, including the sons of the chief priest (Jewish religious leader), Sceva, tried to exorcise evil spirits "by Jesus whom Paul preaches", the evil spirit leapt on them, and they fled naked and wounded (v. 13-16). These sons of the priest neither knew Paul nor the Jesus whom Paul preached. Therefore they were not empowered by the Spirit of God. The evil spirit spoke and said to them: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" (v. 15). 

     Because of these works of the Spirit life in Paul, fear fell on the people of Ephesus. Many believers confessed and burned their very valuable books on the practices of the occult, and "the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified...So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed". (v. 17-20). A whole territory was changed because of God's work through one Holy Spirit-filled man, Paul.

     More than ever, as we see the dangerous signs around us, it is time for the people who know their God to be strong and do exploits. It is time for the believers in Christ to take 2 Chron. 7:14 seriously, and to walk in Spirit life. The question is asked in scripture: "Who shall stand when He appeareth?" Be filled with the Spirit and do whatever God asks you to do. Time is short.

     

     *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 2/18/24 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook.