The last days outpouring
The first session in a series of teaching on the Holy Spirit and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Ronald Gabrielsen is showing the according to the Bible the time we are living in now is a time where God wants to pour out His Spirit on all people, but in order for us to experience it we need to re-aline our hearts so that we are ready for what God wants to do.
It started with an outpouring
It started with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that turned a scared group of disciples into bold witnesses for Jesus, willing to die for their faith. This turning-point in Acts chapter 2, empowered them to impact their surroundings everywhere they went . When we no longer have an impact on our surroundings, it is a clear sign that we need a new encounter with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit brings change
The first disciple had the best Bible school anyone could have, with Jesus Himself as the teacher. But still Jesus told them to wait fulfilling the great commission, until they had been baptised with the Holy Spirit. When this happened there was a radical change in their life. Suddenly everything Jesus had been teaching them came alive.
God wants and intimate friendship with us
Teaching about the Holy Spirit, the focus is often on the gifts — or the outer manifestations. But there is also an inner work of the Spirit that provides a solid foundation for the external works. When Ezekiel prophesied about the new covenant, it is clear that God wanted to become intimate with Man again and that this new fellowship would change our behavior.
Immersed in the Holy Spirit
Jesus said that when we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, we will receive power. The baptism in water is to burry our old life, and the baptism in the Spirit is to receive power to live the new life. The word baptism means to be immersed in something, so when John and Jesus were talking about baptism in the Holy Spirit, they talked about a radical and life-changing encounter.
You got the same Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus
Many think Jesus did miracles because He was the son of God, but the Bible says Jesus stripped Himself of His Heavenly glory. In the Gospels, we see that it was the Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus, and that is why He could say that those who believed in Him would do the same work He did — because He knew the same Holy Spirit would empower them.
You need the power of the Holy Spirit
If the first disciples needed to wait for the Holy Spirit's empowerment, then we need it even more. The great commission is not only an assignment to go out and talk about the Kingdom of God, but also to demonstrate that the Gospel is more than empty words and theology.
Two important experiences
Some ask if getting the Holy Spirit, when we get saved, is the same as being baptized in the Holy Spirit. But the Bible is clear that this is two different experiences that both are important for our spiritual growth. We need to be born again by the Spirit, having been made a new creation we need to burry the old "man," and we need to receive power to live the new life.
Speaking in tongues (1/4)
Some ridicule speaking in tongues as foolish, but it's not uncommon for God to take something powerful and present it in a packaged that might seem foolish to the natural mind. Something a childlike faith would easier receive than those who insist on staying within the boundaries of what the natural mind thinks is reasonable.
Speaking in tongues (2/4)
Some say that the Bible does not talk a lot about speaking in tongues, but this is not true. Several passages directly talk about speaking in tongues, and in other passages, we understand from the context that this is the issue. In this session, we go through these passages.
Speaking in tongues (3/4)
A lot of the misunderstanding regarding speaking in tongues is that some fail to see that the Bible talks about different kinds of tongues. If we fail to see this, we might think that Paul is confused and is contradicting himself. In this session, we look at the different kinds of tongues mentioned in the Bible.
Speaking in tongues (4/4)
In general, the church does not lack cleverly crafted Bible teaching or better programs, but spiritual power. And one of the purposes of tongues is to strengthen us spiritually. Prophecy builds up the church, so we need the gift of prophecy, but we need to be spiritually strengthened to have something to give to others. That is why we need to use this gift God has given us much more than we do today.