This Lenten journey is about repentance and turning back to God’s word. Daniel said Daniel 8:12 “Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.” Repentance is to change directions by turning away from the manmade, satan deceived church and once again seek the true church where power and authority is the same as it was when the church started. Sadly, the church has grown accustomed to the powerless church. As Paul said Galatians 3:1 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” The church decided to choose the flesh and seems quite content not to have miracles, true signs and wonders and demons cast out.

    For most, they don’t seem to understand that the power and authority given to the church was to continue. The church was supposed to continue to do just as Jesus and the disciples did. Pentecost was the beginning but not a one-time event as we see in Acts. Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 4 31 “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Peter said Acts 2:38 “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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

    The filling by the Holy Spirit means that God is dwelling among His people. Ephesians 2:19 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” If God is dwelling among His people, then the church will look like God’s word. Today’s church talks about being filled with the Spirit both charismatic and non-charismatic but neither look like the power and authority Jesus had and gave His disciples before and after Pentecost. John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Peter said Acts 5:32 “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

    Belief and obedience lead to the presence of the Holy Spirit. If someone / church says they are filled with the Holy Spirit, then you will see what we saw in the Gospels and Acts. Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” Rebellion and disobedience means that God will turn His face from the church and there will be no power and authority just as we presently do not see. Don’t be deceived by satan masquerading as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13 “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” Matthew 24:24 “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” As Peter said 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” Don’t believe those who tell you your security can never be taken away. Also be careful of those who say the Spirit is flowing such as barking and falling down but looks nothing like the Gospels and Acts.   

    Basically there are two camps; non-charismatic and charismatic and both are off track. They are off track because both follow a different Jesus and other gospels. Having said that the desire to see the same power and authority the early church had is a good thing. Where the charismatics got deceived was the desire for manifestations and did not test the spirits. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Whole denominations bought into the lies and deception of satan. For example, speaking in tongues was supposed to be a sign that they were filled with the Holy Spirit but the tongues they received was a lie and totally meaningless; nothing but babble. People were slain in the spirit and lay flat on their backs, but it was not God doing the slaying, but satan. IN churches that sy the Holy Spirit was moving powerfully, what you saw looked nothing like Jesus. Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.”   

    Many will say surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, but it is not God and they don’t seem to know the difference. The charismatics distorted view of scripture has done a lot of damage and many churches want nothing to do with the supernatural to their loss and demise. In the effort to stand against the charismatics and instead of rejecting false doctrines and theology, they reject the Holy Spirit, thus reject the very presence of God in their midst. The other camp says when they were saved they received the Holy Spirit and some same that was a separate event but in both cases there is not the presence of the Holy Spirit. To make matters worse many came up with doctrines to explain away the lack of power. Take these verses from James. James 5:4 “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are.” That is the power and authority the church was supposed to have, but the deception by satan convinced most that they either had what they didn’t have or didn’t need what they really needed.    

    Jesus told His disciples to wait to be anointed. Luke 24:48 “You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Then at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came but then we saw a separation of what Peter had said and that has continued to this day. As we read above, Peter said Acts 2:38 “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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Most in the church have done as their church asked of them. They may have repented and been baptized and told they were filled with the Holy Spirit but there is no spirit. The same with the charismatics. They were told they were filled with the Holy Spirit because they babbled. But the results are missing.    

    To be clear repentance is a good thing but there is more. Acts 18:24 “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Many of the converts only knew of the baptism of John even though like Apollos, spoke with great fervor yet something was missing. At this point you can see someone growing in their faith, but what we have in most cases is a rejection of the Holy Spirit as their main desire is to stay how they are. They in the stubbornness reject the Holy Spirit.    

    The laying on of hands is missing in the church but a person really needs to be careful who lays their hands on you. You do not want the spirit most would give you. 1 Timothy 5:22 “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.” Acts 8:5 “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” Then the apostles heard about this. Acts 8:14 “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” This was an important part of the church but a man name Simon saw the laying on of hands and wanted to buy the power. He was rebuked for that.    

    It is important to note that the Holy Spirit had not come upon any of them yet. Then we see an amazing event at the home of Cornelius to which Peter was sent. Peter spoke the word of the Lord. Acts 10:37 “You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” In this case the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even before they were baptized. The baptism that John preached was just part of it but most churches stopped there.     

    Another example is with Paul. Paul said Acts 13:24 “Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” Acts 19:1 “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.”   

    For most, talk about the Holy Spirit is just talk. Paul said 1 Corinthians 4:18 “Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” Acts 19:11 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” What would Paul find at your church? Most have been told very little about the power of the Holy Spirit. Some have been told it is just part of the church process. Some have been told power is no longer available. Other have been deceived by power. For the most part people who go to church think they have the Holy Spirit and were sealed. But they do not have the Holy Spirit because they have followed other gospels and a different Jesus or they only know of John’s baptism but fail to seek it or there is no laying on of hands. Hebrews says laying on of hands is an elementary teaching. Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.” Hebrews 5:11 “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”   

    God has tuned His face from the church which means He is not dwelling among us. The Spirit most think they have is not the Spirit of truth and many have been deceived and have followed what is false. We are told that Exodus 40:34 “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” When Solomon brought the ark to the temple, 1 Kings 8:10 “When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.” Then Solomon dedicated the temple. 2 Chronicles 7:1 “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord depart from the temple and return to the temple. Ezekiel 10:18 “Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.” Ezekiel 43:1 “Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.”   

    The church desperately needs the glory of the Lord to return and fill His people once again. Since the temple is no longer a building, we need to be filled again just like at Pentecost. At the temple dedication, fire came down and at Pentecost fire came down upon the heads of the disciples who obeyed, waited and gathered. “Fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” If you are content with the church deluded, desolate, defeated, weak, in captivity, sick, demon-possessed, sitting in darkness then continue as the powerless church. But if you believe what you read in scripture and are tired of the empty, powerless and distorted words coming from the pulpits, then seek God and pray that He will once again turn His face to shine upon us and fill us with His Spirit and then His disciples/ the church will once again do as Jesus did and go out into the world with power and authority from on High. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 10:1 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”   

    John said Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Yes, John’s baptism was to turn the hearts of God’s people to Jesus but there was more; the power from on High; the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. If you are content with the church in its present state, read the Gospels and Acts and then ask yourself if you are content. Nowhere does the bible say that same power that raised Jesus from the dead is not available to all who believe. Peter said, “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Paul said Ephesians 1:17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The church is not how it is supposed to be so we ask God to be merciful and turn His face back to us. Lamentations 5:19 “You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. 20 Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? 21 Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old 22 unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” Daniel 9:17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”