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ARE YOU LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT? POWERFUL TESTIMONY BY DR JIM HARRIS.
God understood that we can’t live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit indwelling us.
Jesus said, “But when the Helper comes whom I shall send from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” John 15:26.
Paul said, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
“Walking in the Spirit is yielding to the Spirit (not my will, but Your will be done). In Ephesians 5:18 we are admonished by God to be filled with the Spirit (means controlled by the Holy Spirit).
Filling does not mean we get more of the Holy Spirit but that He gets more of us.
It is the Holy Spirit that produces good fruit in a person’s life: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, FAITH, PATIENCE, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS, KINDNESS & SELF CONTROL
It is the Holy Spirit that gives the supernatural gifts: WORD OF WISDOM, WORD OF KNOWLEDGE, PROPHECY, FAITH, HEALING, MIRACLES, DISCERNING OF SPIRITS, DIFFERENT KINDS OF TONGUES & INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES.
Is there evidence of good fruit in your life? Is there evidence that the gifts are operating? If not, then you need to question whether you are born again. Find a church that operates in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, many don’t. Many churches are filled with seekers, not born again believers. They are a mission field that needs our attention.
Not convinced then take a look at these Scriptures.
“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11
Both the apostles and their followers operated in the power of the Holy Spirit:
“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 4:33
“And Stephen full of faith and power… Acts 6:8
Peter said:
“By what power or by what name have you done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them… Acts 4:7
Take a look at the testimony of Dr Jim Harris. He is President of The Jim Harris Group, an international speaking and advising firm dedicated to helping believers in business unleash their unfair advantage in the marketplace. He is the author of Our Unfair Advantage: Unleash the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Business and numerous other award winning business books.
9/11/01 was the first time in my life I intentionally asked for the power of Holy Spirit in my life. And it not only impacted me, but powerfully impacted over 500 other people.
On 9/10/2001, I connected through Boston Logan airport to catch a flight to Killington, Vermont to keynote a conference the next day.
As the opening speaker of the conference concluded his presentation, the scheduled 15-minute break began before my presentation was to begin at 9:30 AM EST. During the break, we were taken aback as the hotel staff frantically rolled out large TV’s on carts and began to broadcast the terrifying images from Manhattan. By 9:03 AM, both twin towers had been hit by the hijacked aircraft. Just like millions of other Americas, we were shocked, dismayed and very afraid as we watched both towers discharge huge pillars of smoke and fire.
These images profoundly impacted most of this central Vermont audience as many had family members or friends who worked either in the twin towers or in lower Manhattan. The conference committee had to make a quick decision: cancel or continue. They chose to continue. I was the next speaker.
As the attendees regathered, there was a powerfully palpable cloud of fear and uncertainty swirling throughout the room. The conference team exhorted me to find a way settle their minds and hearts away from this surreal disaster. Addressing the audience, the conference organizer quickly reviewed their reasons to continue and introduced me.
I was speechless. For the first time in my career as a professional speaker, I had no idea what to say or how to overcome such overwhelming emotions and uncertainty.
Also for the first time in life I intentionally asked God, “What do I say? What do I do? Please give me Your words—because I do not have a CLUE!” To this day I do not remember what I said. For it was not me speaking, but Holy spirit speaking through me.
About the only thing I do recall was that I asked the audience to join me NOT in a prayer (remember – this was in the middle of the Bernie Sanders/Ben & Jerry’s ultra-liberal northeast) but to join me in a time of ________ – I do not even remember the words that came out of my mouth. Whatever the words, they were perfect! In less than 90-seconds, what began as an overwhelming spirit of fear was replaced with by a palpable spirit of calm!
Be Led
It took me over a decade to fully realize how Holy Spirit so powerfully led me through this pressure-packed event. I can now say this was the first time in my life I was intentional in desiring to be led by Holy Spirit.
And now, this is the only way I want to live!
Jesus repeatedly said he did not do or say anything on His own, but only what the Father told him to do or say (John 5:19; 5:30; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10).
This too is my quest.
What began for me on 9/11/01 as a foretaste Holy Spirit has transformed into my life’s desire – to teach, write, mentor and shepherd willing saints (particularly in business) on how to always and only #BeLed.
Will you join me?
WHAT/WHERE IS OUR END TIMES FOCUS?
If time is short, our end times focus must be on the Great Commission. This is what I like about Joel Richardson, his focus is on getting Muslims into God’s Kingdom. I met Joel at the Understanding the Times Conference in Tyler, Texas. This video will give you “his heart for the lost” as well as the role of Islam in Biblical prophecy of the last days.
SPIRITUAL CHARIOTS FOR LAST-DAYS TRANSPORTATION
Amazing prophecy from Bill Yount. Bill has been a member of Bridge of Life in Hagerstown, Maryland, for the past 36 years, where he is now an elder and a home missionary. He is currently an adviser at large for Aglow International. Bill faithfully served in prison ministry at Mount Hope for 23 years and now travels full-time, both in the U.S. and internationally, ministering in churches and Aglow circles.
Bill is saying, that just as Phillip was transported to minister to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:39-40. the Lord in these ‘last days’ will transport many by spiritual “Chariots of Fire” into enemy territory where people are being held captive by the enemy and natural disasters.
“When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. And the eunuch saw him no more, and he went his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached the gospel in all the cities until he came to Caesarea” Acts 8:39-40.
With the increase of international disasters beginning to take place around the world, there will be urgent missions where individuals will need to get to countries swiftly. These missions will not be dependent upon the future unstable conditions of the airline transportation systems. God is always one step ahead when it comes to spreading the gospel and going into all the world.
In the Spirit, I heard an order of “chariot wheels” being called into the throne room for the last-day method of transportation for emergency mission work around the world. Time will be a critical factor in getting God’s people from one place to the next to minister in times of disaster. God will use angels to intervene in many cases, but to actually lift up the full standard against the flood of the enemy along with national catastrophes, He will be sending His people “first class,” speedily.
I have heard testimonies where some believers have been praying for a nation, and all of a sudden, in the Spirit, they were caught away and found themselves in that nation ministering to people. Some through dreams or visions, and some as though their own body was there! I truly believe we are living in an hour that we need to take the limits off of God and say, “Here am I, Lord; send me anywhere, any way You want to!”
Spiritual ‘Chariots of Fire’
It’s interesting that the army tanks in Israel are called “chariots of fire.” While in Israel, I saw a demonstration of these tanks on the move. These tanks are able to shoot forth fire out of the end of their cannons into their enemies. Also, they can shoot forth smoke to hide themselves from the enemy, when needed. These tanks are believed to be the most powerful artillery in the world.
The Lord will transport many by spiritual “chariots of fire” into enemy territory where people are being held captive by the enemy and natural disasters. These chariots will be equipped with the fire of God and the smoke of His glory cloud. They will be used to rescue many from death as their ministers, as flames of fire and preach to thousands with the fire of God on their lips as they are hidden from the enemy and disaster by the smoke of His glory!
‘Angelic Air and Ground Traffic Controllers’
As the earth seems to be going more and more out of control and increases its groaning through earthquakes and bizarre weather patterns, angels will be given charge over God’s people in their going out and coming in, as they are being escorted on secret missions. When everything appears to be out of control, God will still be sitting upon the circle of the earth in total control of spreading the gospel. Angels will help control air and ground traffic transportation for the missions of God’s people.
As many travel and minister in these spiritual “chariots of fire,” the borders of their mantles will, at times, touch down upon whole nations and regions to redeem and bring forth life out of chaos!
“Swing low, sweet chariot…” Are you ready for an upgrade in your travelling?
WHERE ARE THE MODERATE MUSLIMS?
After every terrorist attack, politicians and pundits reassure us that the atrocity does not represent the true beliefs of the “moderate Muslim majority.” But how many moderates are there? And what exactly does “moderate” mean?
Military instructor and researcher Hussein Aboubakr of Prager University grew up attending Muslim schools in Egypt. Looking back at his Muslim education, Aboubakr believes that Westerners simply do not understand the values that Islam actually promotes. When politicians reassure their citizenry, after terror attacks, that most Muslims are “moderate,” Aboubakr says that it all depends on what the definition of “moderate” is.
Watch as Aboubakr describes what most (though not all) so called ‘moderate Muslims’ think about imposing Sharia Law and supporting terror attacks on Israeli civilians.
This religion is the most antichrist religion that has ever existed. Both Shia and Sunni Muslims believe the appearance of their Messiah – al Mahdi is imminent. Is this person the expected Christian Antichrist? I believe so. It fits the fourth empire of Daniel 2 being the Ottoman Empire (which crushed the first three Empires) and the final Empire being a revived but divided (Sunni/Shia) Muslim Caliphate. It fits with Rev. 12,13 & 17 history of the pagan Empires with 7th head – Ottoman Empire and the 8th head Divided Islamic Empire. Also, whether Daniel’s King of the North, Ezekiel’s Gog, or Isaiah’s and Micah’s “The Assyrian”, they are the same man the Antichrist, from the same region with the same motivation – The Antichrist.
CHURCH AS JESUS INTENDED & JOHN 17 UNITY.
In John 17:21, Jesus said that the purpose—goal—of His church here on earth would be accomplished by the testimony of UNITY in His church.
Why is unity so important? “that they all may be one, as You Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe you sent Me” John 17:21. It matters—because when unity is demonstrated to the world, it will be the testimony that Jesus is who He said He is – the only Son of God, Saviour. When Jesus is thus “lifted up” then all men shall be drawn to Him.
Paul continued to emphasise the importance of unity throughout his writings:
“Be eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3
This is the vision and purpose Christ has for His body here on earth. Sadly, the world does not see a unified church.
What is the biblical model for unity of the Spirit in the church?
The perfect and highest expression of unity of the Spirit was modelled in the early church after Pentecost: “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers. Fear came to every soul. And many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common. They sold their property and goods and distributed them to all, according to their need. And continuing daily with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).
Three distinct levels of unity of the Holy Spirit are actually expressed here:
Level 1 – Basics
(v. 42) “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers.”
Level 2 – Signs & Wonders
(v. 43) “Fear came to every soul. And many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”
Level 3 – A lifestyle of mutual support and sharing all things
All who believed were together and had all things in common. They sold their property and goods and distributed them to all, according to their need. And continuing daily with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47).
Each of these three represents a progressively higher level of unity in the church, the body of Christ on earth. And, each of these levels is real, tangible, and measurable—just like the actual resurrected body of Jesus.
When you have time watch Francis Chan talk about church as God intended, with all of us using our Holy Spirit given gifts to further God’s Kingdom. Francis walked away from a church of 5,000 in California, when He was challenged by God that very few in the church were using their gifts, and the other issue was how many were really born again.
In the last days, will we see a church like that in the Book of Acts? Yes! we will, and in fact where the church is or has experienced persecution, we are seeing and have seen a unified church. In the Middle East, particularly Syria, the remnant church is unified and operating as the did the church in the Book of Acts and all three levels of unity are visible. The church in China that came out of 40 years of persecution under Mao, same story.
portion of this article was extracted from “Achieving True Unity of Spirit in Your Church” by Louis Posthauer. He is the executive director of Hunters of the Harvest Ministry.
JESUS SAID, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.
JESUS SAID, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. JOHN 14:6
IN HIM WAS LIFE, AND THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN. AND THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS, AND THE DARKNESS DID NOT COMPREHEND IT. 1 JOHN 5:4
THE THIEF COMES ONLY TO STEAL, AND TO KILL, AND TO DESTROY. I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND THEIR LIFE MAY BE FULL. JOHN 10:10
In English our Saviour’s name is JESUS, but it is actually YESHUA which means “YAHWEH IS SALVATION”.
Jesus is the only redeemer. Your sins can be forgiven only through believing that he died on the cross for your sins. Yes, only by accepting Him as our redeemer and saviour that we can be saved. There is no other way of forgiveness from sins. The deceiver, Satan, and his demons will say there are many other ways of salvation, even ways to comfort the spirit of the dead, but all in vain, only Jesus can save us. Also, there’s no second chance or third chance for salvation after death. Some people pray that the souls of their deceased family members will be saved. But really, this is deception of the enemy. By declaring and prophesying the word of truth in season, we are confronting the deception of the enemy. So let’s declare that Jesus is the only way, and the truth and the life, and be one of the workers to bring in the harvest.
THEN JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, THE HARVEST IS TRULY PLENTIFUL BUT THE WORKERS ARE FEW. MATTHEW 9:37
TRUST AND OBEY FOR THERE’S NO OTHER WAY
Deuteronomy should make us conscious of our responsibility for obedience.
Deuteronomy is a record of the words that Moses spoke to the people of Israel just prior to their entering the Promised Land. In fact, the first line of the books states, “These are the words,” giving Deuteronomy its Hebrew title Devarim – “Words.” The original adults who fled Egypt have all passed away, and a new generation has risen up. God is going to give them great victory against their enemies in Canaan, but many temptations are also going to face them. Moses gives the Israelite’s one last sermon to reiterate God’s instructions for them.
The children were not held responsible for the cowardice of their parents. They were assured possession of the land while the parents were sent back to the desert. The author of Hebrews later points to the wilderness strewn with the corpses of that faithless generation as a grim reminder.
There are consequences for lacking confidence in God’s power.
God provided for the Israelites. He did huge miracles on their behalf. He wanted to bring them into the Land, but He had to let the faithless parents die in the desert. He could not pollute the land with unbelievers right from the beginning.
When we fail to appreciate the power and love of God, it’s like we’re poking a finger in His eye.
That’s disturbing stuff. We get enamoured with grace, but we fail to realise some of these implications. God loves us completely, and He has tremendous patience with us. That’s why it is such an incredible insult to suggest He doesn’t love us. He gave us everything. He gave us His Son. All eternity is ours because of God’s self-sacrifice. How can we be so cruel and foolish to think for a moment He doesn’t love us or that He can’t be trusted?
Trusting God is loving God. If we trust Him, though, that also means we trust Him enough to obey Him. Real trust says, “I know Your way is best.”
We are saved through the blood of Jesus, not by our works. However, in His seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus repeatedly offers rewards to the “overcomer.” Overcoming is incredibly important. The fruit of our lives is at stake. The lives of other people are at stake. Our rewards in Heaven are at stake. Moses was saved, but he didn’t get to enter the Promised Land he’d worked so hard to reach.
Let’s get to the end of our lives and be able to say, “I fought the good fight. I finished the race.”
PREPARE FOR THE “END TIMES” EVENTS TO COME
“Why do the nations rage…? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear off their bonds and cast away their ropes from us” (Psalm 2:1-3).
David describes a time when many rulers would see God’s Word in a negative light, as though it were bonds enslaving them and as cords binding them to His morality, godly ways and truth. They would see the demands of God’s Word as hindering “human potential” in sexual expression along with many other life choices.
This prophecy is being fulfilled now and it is time to speak up and to refuse to remain silent. In this hour, as the cultural wars intensify, the voice of aggressive secularists is getting much louder and bolder. At the same time, many in the church are retreating into fearful silence. To some, it seems as if the church will be overrun by the angry voices of the liberal left. However, I assure you that the Lord’s purposes will surely succeed. He is raising up those who will speak up with clarity and courage because of their fierce love for Jesus and the truth (John 14:21, 2 Thess. 2:10).
Where is all this going? Some ask if things will get better or worse. The truth is, both light and darkness will increase at the same time. Before Jesus returns, godliness and sin alike will reach their greatest heights in history:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord shall rise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1-2).
The greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit in history is yet to come, in conjunction with a deluge of deep darkness assaulting the nations.
The Lord is raising up courageous messengers who will fearlessly proclaim Jesus as the only way of salvation, the authority of His Word and the supremacy of His glorious leadership.
Where do you stand? Where does your church stand? What is God calling you to do in this hour? It is time to make important decisions, to align yourselves with like minded brothers and sisters in Christ. The persecuted church invariably looks like the church described in the Book of Acts.
Compiled using article by Mike Bickle, The Lord is Raising Up Courageous Messengers in Charisma Magazine
BROAD COALITION OF EVANGELICALS RELEASE A TIMELY STATEMENT ON HUMAN SEXUALITY
A broad coalition of Christian leaders, including J. I. Packer and Francis Chan, have released a statement articulating God’s design for human identity as male and female.
Dr. Richard Land (shown here), president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and Christian Post executive editor is one of the Nashville Statement’s initial signatories. He said, “The answer to the question ‘What and who is a human being?’ is the mega-ethical issue of our time. It impacts everything,” He noted that if the meaning of the human person cannot be defined in Scripture, the very Gospel is at stake.
“This statement is an attempt to equip the Church to address this issue from a biblical, Christian perspective,” Land said, “to provide a catechism for churches, for Bible study groups, for Sunday schools, families, college students, to equip themselves to understand what the Bible says about these issues and to do so in a positive way.”
“And if we truly love people, we are going to tell them the truth,” he emphasised, “and telling the truth to people is often hard. Telling the truth to segregationists about race was not easy. But they were trapped in racism. It stultified their souls and they were accountable to God for it and it was our responsibility as Christians to tell them the truth: God is no respecter of persons.”
When one engages sexuality issues, Land said, one must deal with the doctrine of creation, and specifically God’s creation of human beings. Although marred and twisted by the Fall, human beings are the only part of His created order that are imprinted with the divine image, he added, and that divine image cannot be separated from His plan for marriage and human sexuality.
Such a statement is needed, they say, in order to resist the spirit of the age and for the church to maintain its counter-cultural witness in a world that seems “bent on ruin.”
The document contains a preamble and 14 articles responding to the current realities in the Western world regarding the many messages swirling in society and even in some churches about sexuality, particularly homosexuality and transgenderism, which have come to the fore in both politics and church life in recent years.
“Evangelical Christians at the dawn of the twenty-first century find themselves living in a period of historic transition. As Western culture has become increasingly post-Christian, it has embarked upon a massive revision of what it means to be a human being. By and large the spirit of our age no longer discerns or delights in the beauty of God’s design for human life,” the statement’s preamble reads.
Important articles in the Nashville Statement say:
Article 4
WE AFFIRM that divinely ordained differences between male and female reflect God’s original creation design and are meant for human good and human flourishing.
Article 7
WE AFFIRM that self-conception as male or female should be defined by God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption as revealed in Scripture.
WE DENY that adopting a homosexual or transgender self-conception is consistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption.
The authors of the Nashville Statement assert in Article 10 that matters pertaining to sexuality, including homosexual practice and transgenderism is an not an area where faithful Christians can “agree to disagree,” but that this is central to the Gospel message.
Katie McCoy, assistant professor of theology in women’s studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Forth Worth, Texas, commented to CP, “The gender issues facing women today hit at the core of our being. McCoy, who is also the editor of BiblicalWoman.com, is among the Nashville Statement’s initial signatories.
When asked what she wants the Nashville Statement to accomplish in the Kingdom of God and how it marks this present moment in church history, McCoy said she hopes it brings boldness to everyone to proclaim the timeless truths of Scripture.
“[Theological] orthodoxy will be increasingly unaccepted and unacceptable but with a statement like this comes the reminder that we are not as alone [as we think], that the truth is never quite on the fringes,” McCoy said.
“And God’s people will remain faithful to God’s Word no matter how unpopular it is, no matter how culturally unacceptable it is.”
The statement’s initial signatories include a multi-generational and racially diverse array of men and women leaders in the body of Christ from a variety of denominations. Over 100 prominent theologians, Bible scholars, church pastors and ministry leaders, seminary presidents, college professors, Christian public policy thinkers, and writers have all already signed on. Baptists, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, nondenominational evangelicals, and almost every other historic Orthodox Protestant tradition are represented among those signatures and additional signers continue to be added.
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 