THE EMMAUS WALK PRESENTS:

"The Holy Spirit Baptism and Speaking in Tongues," "Brokenness," & "How to Develop Spiritual Gifts," "The Anointing and Ministry of the Holy Spirit,"

by Duane L. Smith

Part II



The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the identification of the believer with the Holy Spirit; it is the release of the Spirit in the believer's life, whereby allowing the Spirit to empower, guide, teach, and direct him/her.

The evidence of the Spirit baptism is the gifts, the fruit, the power, and the holiness of the Spirit.

The release of the Spirit results from Spirit baptism and/or brokenness (see Brokenness, below).

Quite often, the first gift that a believer experiences is speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is the least of the gifts, and the only one that deals primarily with self-edification; however, tongues can edify the church if combined with the interpretation of tongues. Tongues + the interpretation = prophecy. Tongues should be used privately unless an interpreter can be found in the congregation. Tongues enhances the believer's prayer life and witness. Tongues is one's own spirit praying to God by the power and intercession of the Holy Spirit, apart from one's mind or intellect.

God is sovereign. He can choose to manifest Himself in various ways, any time he desires. Let us not limit God, no matter how He chooses to reveal Himself. Please see: Lk. 24:19; Acts 1:8, 2:4; I Cor. 12; 14:33; Jn. 15:1-8; Gal. 5:22, 23; Rom. 6:22; II Cor. 7:1; Heb. 12:10; I Pet. 1:15,16; Eph. 4:23,24; I Cor. 1:30, 31; Rom. 8:26, 27; and Heb. 2:4.


"BROKENNESS"

Brokenness is the point in our lives where we come to an end of ourselves, and we abandon ourselves totally to God. It is a major turning point in our lives, where we no longer rely on ourselves, our self-sufficiency, or our self-confidence. It is at that point we begin to totally depend upon God.

Brokenness is not a shattering experience such as the breaking of a glass, or a piece of pottery; rather it is like a wild horse needing to be broken in order to be made useful.

The fruit of brokenness is that we yield to the Spirit of God, allowing Him to control and fill us; it is the release of the Spirit in our lives. It is then that we realize we are truly helpless and hopeless without Him. Please see: Ps. 34:18; Isa. 57:1; Isa. 66:1, 2; II Cor. 4:7-10; Ps. 51:17.

"HOW TO DEVELOP SPIRITUAL GIFTS"

by Duane L. Smith


In the Bible, death always means separation; when our spirit separates from our bodies, we are physically dead; when we are separated from God, we are SPIRITUALLY DEAD. See Romans 8:11, 8:6.

When we are born again, we immediately receive the Holy Spirit, and are baptized by Christ with the Holy Spirit into the universal Body of Christ, which is the Church. The local church is the visible expression of the truth, and water baptism gives testimony to this fact. See I Cor. 12:13.

At conversion, the Holy Spirit comes to INDWELL us; and reveals Christ to us. That is why we are called the temple of God; and why our bodies are called the temple of the Holy Spirit. See I Cor. 3:16, and 6:19 and 20.

In the Bible, the Temple was made up of both the Inner and Outer courts. The Inner Court was composed of what is called the Holy of Holies and also the Holy Place. The Outer Court is also called the Court of the Gentles, and contained the Women's Court, as well as the Court of the Israelites.

The Holy of Holies was the place where the very Presence and Power of God was manifested.

The picture of the the Temple relates nicely to the Believer's total being: spirit, soul, and body--the believer's own spirit, which is the dwelling place of God; the soul, which is composed of the mind, will and emotions; and also the body, by which we have contact and by which we communicate with the world.

The three main functions of the human spirit is: Communion, Intuition, and Conscience (see Dictionary).

For a better understanding of spiritual communion, see Rom. 8:14-17, II Cor 13:14, and Jn. 15:4,5,7,8. For true spiritual intuition, see I Jn 4:2 & 6, Jn. 16:13 & 14, Jn. 4:24, and I Cor. 2:10-14. For the conscience, see Rom. 2:15, Heb. 5:14, and He. 9:14. For the soul, see Matt. 22:37-40. For the body, see Rom. 12:1,2.

All of this is vital information if we want to experience the release of the Spirit (popularly called the 'Baptism of the Holy Spirit'). This experience, I believe, should soon follow after conversion and then the water baptism, though it can be experienced later and at various times throughout one's lifetime. God always gives you just what you need, to equip you for His service, in His way and in His time. See Acts 10:44-48 and Jn. 7:37-39.

For the purpose of this discussion, let's concern ourselves with the manifestation of the Gifts of the Spirit. The Greek word for gifts is found in I Cor. 12: charismata. This word gives us "charismatic" which means, literaly, "gifts of grace".

For this particular release of the Spirit, let's first prepare our hearts with prayer, praise, and worship. Let us specifically ask the Lord for the Gift of the Spirit. See Matt. 7:7-11.

At his point, let me interject one thing about praise and worship. The highest word of praise that we can use is "Hallelujah," which is Hebrew for "Praise be Yahweh!" Notice, this phrase contains the most holy Name for God.

For a word about prayer, read Matt. 18:19 & 20.

One way of receiving spiritual gifts is through laying on of hands. See Acts 19: 5 & 6, I Tim. 4:14.

In the Bible, oil was used for dedication, consecration, and ordination.

When we remember to try not to limit God, we can expect the miraculous, and we can expect the unexpected.

For a final word on the release of the Spirit, read also I Tim. 5:16-23. Amen


"The Anointing and Ministry of the Holy Spirit,"

by Duane L. Smith

Please go to Vine's Expository Dictionary for the definitions of "anointed," "Christ," or "Christos." The definitions identify the Name of Jesus Christ with ointment and anointing. Please see Acts 4:26, and also II Cor. 1:21 (Amplified Version). For ointment and anointing oil, see I Jn. 2:20, 21 and 27. Anointing oil in the natural is prepared from oil and aromatic herbs, but anointing is also a spiritual thing, received from the Holy Spirit. Plese also look up "Chrisma" in Vine's.

In Dan. 9:26, "chrisma" stands for the Anointed One, "Christ" the noun standing for the Second Person of the Godhead, himself.

Not only was Jesus anointed for His calling as Savior, but believers in Him have an anointing that separates them, rendering them holy, separating them to God.

The Holy Spirit's anointing of the believer is the all-efficient means of enabling believers to possess a knowledge of the truth.

For the ministry of the Holy Spirit, see Jn. 16:5-14; 14:16,17 & 2; Jn. 8:32 & 3; I Cor. 2:10-14; Col. 3:1; James 1:21-24; and last but not least, Isa. 2:10-13. Amen

If there is any sin in our lives, let us first prepare our hearts by confessing (i.e., agreeing with God), repenting by forsaking our sins and by turning our hearts to the Lord. When we thus soften our hearts before the Lord, we can better hear from Him.

Let us begin to totally dedicate ourselves to the Lord, so we can start to wholly serve him, and truly make Him the Lord of our lives.

When we are ready, let us pray for a fresh anointing, so that we can again be endued with power from on high.

We need to remember to wait ont he Lord, so that we can be refreshed and have our strength renewed.

Discover your true source of love, joy, and peace. Then we can have a fresh start, with a new sense of direction and purpose in life. Remember that we cannot live on yesterday's "manna". See Matt. 6:11, Jn. 6:32, 33, 50.

Let us be careful to give Him all the praise and glory, and with thanksgiving in our hearts, let us worship him.

May the Lord be with you, and bless you, now and forever. Amen



Text: (c) 2007, Duane L. Smith Estate, All Rights Reserved

"Prayer, Its Nature and Its Need; Part I, "Prayer is Breathing," by Bernice Schaefer



"How Definite Should Prayer Be?" by Bernice Shaefer


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