THE ACTS September 2013 English | Page 7

JOHN 6 : 63 says, It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing : the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. W hat does the spirit do? The spirit quickens. What is the meaning of quickening? And what does the spirit quicken? We all are aware of the Holy Spirit. But when we use the word Holy Spirit, the only thing that comes to our mind is speaking in Tongues. Many people ask for the Holy Spirit which means they want to speak in tongues. People limit their knowledge to only tongues and some of them do not want to speak in tongues. When we are going from truth and glory to more truth and more glory, then people who cannot know more truth, will get separated. This is the reason why there is a fall out among the churches. People often pray for the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit. Did the Holy Spirit give us only 9 gifts? No! He can give us more than 90 crore of gifts. We should actually know how the Spirit operates. The Holy Spirit will come into a person who believes Jesus irrespective of whether he is baptized or not. Peter is actually surprised at this. When Peter was praying for the Gentiles, the Holy Spirit came upon them. He is surprised because he thinks that a person should be Holy, be baptized and then the Holy Spirit will come. But at the sight of the Holy Spirit downpour, he immediately baptises the whole lot of people. The Holy Spirit quickens us and heals us. Let us study about the Holy Spirit. HEBREWS 2 : 3 - 4 says, How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was con- firmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? Salvation is great. How did it start first? By the words spoken by the Lord. It is only the beginning. What are the signs and wonders? That which cannot be explained by nature or creation are called signs and wonders. They are not a natural, routine event. To show that it is of the Lord, after the Word, a sign or wonder is given. Every believer can do great miracles or wonders which were not done or seen by anybody. The Holy Spirit is capable to do many wonders. Miracles are related to faith. Law is the greatest hinderance for faith. Some people are stuck in unbelief because of Law. Law makes the faith vain and the promise null and void. When Law is preached, miracles do not occur. The Holy Spirit is capable to do signs, wonders and diverse miracles. There are diverse gifts of the Holy Spirit. But Paul teaches for the beginners that there are 9 gifts. The Supernatural is more real than the natural. The creator’s place is more real than the creation that He has created. The creator’s works are more real than the works of the earth. And Jesus said, “ You will also do the works that I do”. The healing and prosperity are real than the sickness and poverty. Everything in heaven is more true than the earthly system. Resurrection is real when compared to death because we rise up.We can go to Heaven even without dying if we have faith like Enoch and Elia. The Holy Spirit is ready to do great miracles provided we spend time with God. But Satan will keep us busy by giving us wealth, studies etc. He will divert our attention so that we will not have time for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a quickening Spirit. What kind of a gift is this? Can we call it as a gift which gives life? Yes! If we have a sickness in our body, we are scared of it because it may result in death. If we do not have money, we cannot survive in this world. So the fear of the world’s system is that we may die because of sickness and poverty. The whole world is in this grip of ‘fear of death’. The Holy Spirit will take away the fear of sickness, death etc. and “quicken us” that is make us live! If we are in a hopless situation of debts and not capable of making a living, then the Holy Spirit will give us the ability to earn. If we have committed a mistake and cannot come out of it, then the Holy Spirit will not condemn us. But it will work through Grace. Only Grace is very important. Law is more dangerous than witchcraft. By Law we come to know what sin is and the wages of sin is death. Law will remind us of our sins, make us feel guilty and bring condemnation and death. The devil is not a problem. He only uses the Law to steal, kill and destroy. That is the reason, God has put life and death before us. We are supposed to choose life, Grace and not Law. Grace makes us live. The Holy Spirit works through Grace and enables us to live an abundant life. The Holy Spirit quickens us to a higher level. Even if a person is not educated or well qualified, he need not worry. The Holy Spirit can make the person more able than an educated per The Acts September 2013 05