Project Change Weekly Messages

WM24 July 8, 2017

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I would like to address something about last weeks message. There was a debate in the comments with a few PC readers, that seemed to be going nowhere fast, so I put an end to it.

I'm sorry if I ever offend any of you. I don't mean to be judgmental or rude, even though I have often come off like that, maybe it's just because I can't show tone of voice over writing, and/or maybe it's because I can get a little *ahem* heated in debates about things I care about. I don't have any problem with you guys, and I know you guys don't have any problem with me.

Anyways, everything I do on this is in love, hoping someone will gain something, that I can help and inspire someone. I respect your beliefs, but I also have to stick by mine, and teach what I understand to be biblically correct, and what saves. Maybe this belongs in Bible 101, but I want to take a biblical stance towards the belief I've been preaching the last seven months. I just can't tiptoe around this all-important biblical truth!

I believe if you have a belief, you have to be able to defend it. So this is me defending doctrine of a Holy Spirit that is powerful and biblically based.

If the Bible supported a "I-feel-good-so-I-have-the-spirit" doctrine or "I-was-baptized-so-I-have-the-spirit" doctrine, I would concede that anyone who wants to say they have the Spirit does. And I agree that spiritual superpowers like prophecy and healing (which is NOT what speaking in tongues after the baptism of the Holy Spirit is) are NOT the most important things.

However, according to Acts, Everytime someone is filled with the Spirit in the Bible, tongues are spoken, signs and wonders are done! Look it up yourself, if you'd like. If the Creator of the Universe entered inside of you, don't you think it would have immediate and visible spiritual, emotional, physical and psychological impact? I believe the infilling of the Holy Ghost is signified by the experience of learning a new language, whether of man or of angels, because it is well documented in Acts.

As for the fruit of the spirit, it is important. And people who don't have the fruit of the spirit operating are.. well.. not operating in the spirit. But I have seen hindu saints and believer whores. I have seen atheists who treat people with dignity and respect, and christians who treat people like garbage. The fruit of the spirit is not enough in itself to identify a spirit-filled individual, and never was!

What about the new spirit filled believer? are they supposed to immediately have all the fruits of the Spirit?

What about the believer who struggles or is backsliding? Does their lack of showing the fruit of the spirit show that the spirit abandoned them, or that they are abandoning the spirit, or neither?

But the Spirit grows fruits within the willing. That means you can have the Spirit and choose not to let God make you loving, longsuffering, etc; but at the same time, I have seen the Holy Spirit work on those He fills over time, and I know many Spirit-filled people to be the most kind-hearted, generous people I have ever met. I have seen God-fearing people recieve the true Holy Spirit and their life is changed.

I have seen and experienced the infilling of the Holy Ghost, and I am certain of it's nature, according to scripture. That is why I am passionate to oppose the belief that everyone who believes has the Spirit, or everyone who is baptized has the Spirit, or everyone who likes the idea of following this God guy has the Spirit. Because when people accept the Spirit is a powerless, invisble, hardly noticable thing, the plan that God has for us is ruined.

Also, the only verse that people "have" against the Holy Spirit that I preach is the verse that says that tongues and prophecies will cease.

That's not even talking about the same thing. It's talking about the GIFT of divers tongues that is then prophecied completely different from the tongues throughout many verses of Acts. Read the chapter. Multiple people were trying to prophesy at once, and doing things which confused the church.

This verse is just telling us, well, a point put up in the comments, that spiritual gifts arent the most important things. When a prophecy is fulfilled, it ceases. It's in the history books now. This verse urges us to get things that dont cease.

But the verse does NOT support initial tongues ceasing. In fact, in Acts 2:39, after every spirit filled believer was speaking in tongues, Peter said that "this promise" of the Spirit is for you and your children and ALL WHO ARE AFAR OFF.

Tongues will cease when we all get to heaven, but until then, they are biblical, necessary, and here to stay!

Many people in Acts didn't prophesy when recieving the Holy Ghost, and many didnt have need to speak another human language, like the roman centurion and family who no doubt was multilingual already and had translators of any language available to him. But there are verses about unutterable groanings, which accurately describe speaking in the Spirit, as well as verses referencing men speaking in tongues of angels and men.

I understand that there are opposing beliefs, and I don't want anyone to think I'm being judgmental! But this is what I see as biblical truth; that you can love God without the Holy Spirit (Just like people did in the Old Testament), that you can be baptized in Jesus name and not recieve the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6) and that the Holy Ghost is seen and evidenced by the speaking of tongues! (Acts 10:44-46)

Therefore, according to John 3:5, which states that unless you are born again of water and of spirit you will not enter heaven, unless you recieve the biblically based Holy Spirit (evidenced by speaking in tongues, as in the entire book of Acts), you cannot be saved!

So, now that I have explained what we at PC believe to be biblical truth, I would like to say that I am not meaning to be mean or judgmental or whatever. But I believe that God's plan for each of us, is that whoever willing can recieve the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with the same evidence that Cornelius recieved, that all the believers in the upper room recieved, and that we at PC have already recieved today!