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Bible Verses

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses…unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Words of Ministry

The Holy Spirit dwells within man to be his life, and He rests upon man to be his power. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit was promised by Christ in the New Testament before His death, and it was fulfilled at the time of the Lord’s resurrection. The Spirit’s indwelling in man is for the purpose of becoming life to the believers and also for the purpose of producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer’s living, such as holiness, righteousness, endurance, and joy.

The outpouring of the Spirit upon man was promised by the Father in the Old Testament. This promise was confirmed by the Lord before His ascension. This aspect of the Spirit’s work is related to the Lord’s ascension, and it was fulfilled after the Lord ascended and was exalted. The Spirit’s outpouring upon man is for the purpose of clothing the believers with the Lord’s power for their testimony and also for the purpose of producing the gifts of the Spirit and empowering the believers to work for the Lord for the accomplishment of His will.

Once a man believes in the Lord, the Holy Spirit will surely dwell within him. At the same time, he can also experience the outpouring of the Spirit. If we make a clear distinction between these matters, we will see wonderful things happen to us.

ref: www.emanna.com

Bible Verses

Luke 24:49 And behold, I send forth the promise of My Father upon you; but as for you, stay in the city until you put on power from on high.

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses…unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Words of Ministry

Forty days after the Lord’s resurrection, He promised the disciples again that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. This promise of the Lord was fulfilled at Pentecost. In the Old Testament, the outpouring of the Spirit was the special privilege of a few, such as the priests, prophets, or judges. There might have been only one person in the whole nation of Israel who had this privilege. We find this kind of man appearing only once every few decades or centuries. Such events were rare. But in the New Testament, everyone can and should have this experience.

This promise is very unique; it is something that we can all receive. It is a special blessing from the Lord. What a joy that we can all have the Spirit upon us. Before His ascension, the Lord charged the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise. By that time the disciples already had the indwelling life. They heard the Lord’s word and were praying and waiting. Ten days later at Pentecost [fiftieth day] , they were all filled with the Holy Sprit. Everyone who reads Acts 2 knows that this speaks of the Holy Spirit’s outward work upon man. It does not refer to the inward working of the Spirit. From John, Luke, and Acts, we see that there are two lines to the work of the Holy Spirit. One line is within man, and the other is outside of man.

ref: www.emanna.com

Bible Verses

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever,

(17) Even the Spirit of reality… He abides with you and shall be in you.

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses…

Words of Ministry

Before the Lord’s ascension He gave His disciples two great promises. The first was given before His death, and the second was given before His ascension. The first promise was that the Holy Spirit would abide in man, and the second promise was that the Holy Spirit would come upon man. This [first] promise is too wonderful-the Holy Spirit would abide within man. The Word becoming flesh was a wonderful event that occurred in the Lord Himself [when He was born], but the Spirit Himself living in the believers is an even more wonderful event.

When did the Spirit begin to abide in man? In John 14:17 the Lord said that the Spirit “shall be” in the disciples. This word was spoken prior to the Lord’s crucifixion. In John 20:22, He breathed a holy breath into the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This happened after the Lord’s resurrection. After His resurrection, the Holy Spirit came and the disciples received the Lord’s breathing. The Holy Spirit was the Lord’s breath of life. This is like God’s breathing of the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam after he was created out of the dust of the earth. The result was that he became a living soul. This is happening to us today. The Lord is breathing the Holy Spirit, the breath of life, into us. Without a breath from God, man is dead. Without a breath from the Lord to the church, the church is also dead.

ref:  www.emanna.com

Bible Verses

Luke 1:53 The hungry He has filled with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

Psa 42:1 As the hart pants after the streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. (2) My soul thirts for God, For the living God.

Words of Ministry

Many believers know the doctrine of overcoming; they may even be able to give a message on overcoming. They can lay out the doctrine on the overcoming life from the first point to the last and do a clear analysis of the subject. Yet they still have not overcome. The doctrine of the overcoming life is easy. Those who are smart and have a good memory can understand and remember it readily. But when they are faced with various circumstances, they find that they cannot overcome at all. One does not overcome simply by listening to a message on overcoming. Only one kind of people will overcome: those who are hungry to experience it. God grants the overcoming experience to those who are hungry. If a man is not hungry, he cannot live an overcoming life. Today we need a hunger for God, because all those whom God uses and blesses are desperate ones.

In Genesis 32 in the Old Testament, we have a record of Jacob wrestling with an angel. Although the hollow of his thigh was touched, he spoke to the angel, saying, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” Although Jacob was ruthless, his disposition met the condition for God’s blessing; he was desperately seeking. If God did not bless him, he would not let God go. As a result, God had to bless him.

Ref: www.emanna.com

Bible Verses

Luke 1:53 The hungry He has filled with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

Psalm 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

Words of Ministry

We must realize that God’s blessing to man is based on one condition. In order for God to bless a man, he must satisfy one condition: he must be hungry. If we are not hungry, we cannot expect to receive anything from God. God’s riches and grace are reserved for only one kind of people: those who are hungry. Many people are often dissatisfied and unhappy. However, dissatisfaction and unhappiness are not necessarily the same as hunger. A man may be unhappy and dissatisfied, yet at the same time, refuse to seek for more because he is not hungry even though he is dissatisfied. What does it mean to be hungry? It is being empty before God and feeling unfulfilled within. An empty and unfulfilled feeling is an impetus for a person to seek after God. However, if a person is not hungry, he can sit in the same place for days without doing anything. God has promised to fill only those who are hungry. He has not promised to fill those who are dissatisfied. Those who are full, that is, who think that they are rich, will be sent away empty-handed.

Miss Barber [this writer's spiritual mentor] used to tell others that from her youth through her old age she had an eternal hunger for God. She told others that whenever her eyes were not set on the Lord, she would not feel hungry. But whenever her eyes were set on the Lord, she would be continually hungry before the Lord. She was hungry continually, and the Lord filled her continually.

Ref: www.emanna.com