See for more themes.
| 2. What personal Holy Spirit Revival is NOT.
Introduction
Many books have been written about revival in the Holy Spirit. Most of these books dwell in the New Testament,
rather than the Old and New Testament. What is the difference between the Old and New Testaments?
In the Old Testament, Jesus was the Messenger for His Father, the 'He who exists', or what is called in Hebrew, the sacred letters 'YHWH'.
In the New Testament, Jesus is the messenger for His Father, the Lamb of Elohiym who takes away the sin-offering of the world.
These two phases of Jesus dealings with salvation as a system for overcoming our sinning, is known as the Old Testimony of Jesus, before He died;
and the New Testimony of Jesus, after He died for our sins. See studies Jesus is YHWH.
According to the Scriptures study method, we must line up the Old testimonies of the Jesus, with the New Testimonies of Jesus.
The other problem with books is they promote 'talmud', the muddy ideas of learned men, and their religious traditions, which might be 'good', but is not Sola Scriptora:
what Scripture says alone. There are some really good ideas about Revival through the Holy Spirit,
many websites and books speak of Steps to Personal Revival, but these labels are human ideas, following Scripture stories.
Stories like Elijah on Mount Carmel, is a good one about revival.
Even verses like this in English might begin a theme on revival, and is a good start.
The Hebrew word "chayah" means "quicken" or "ongoing living" and "shuwb" means "repent" or "turn".
So this verse says in Hebraic English :
Sure only the Holy Spirit gives us "ongoing living", the "breath of salvation"
the "chayah" of "repentance". So this verse is really good, but notice whom the verse says where Revival in the Holy Spirit comes from?
The Hebrew word "yasha" means "salvation" "saviour" "rescue" and was the New Testament name given to Jesus.
So Psalm 85, says spiritual revival which is empowered by the Holy Spirit, is granted by the Father, and it is the personal
breath of salvation, via the Holy Spirit, that quickens us daily. Who is this salvation as a Being ? Jesus is.
So while such Scripture stories are good, they do not spell out the exact chronological steps to Jesus, in one Scripture passage.
In fact Jesus is the former rains of our salvation experience. Jesus is the latter rains of our salvation experience.
Maybe some of us are praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit, when in fact what we should be praying for, is for a daily renewal
of Jesus growing in our lives. To be sure this growing in Jesus comes via the Holy Spirit as the latter rains of Christ.
See studies Jesus is YHWH.
See studies on the Steps to Jesus for daily revival of the former rains of salvation.
Another problem is many books are written in English, using English dictionaries, and trusting translations of the Scriptures
too much. To begin with, all of the Scriptures was written in a Hebrew mind set, in Hebrew. However, the Greek translation of the NT Hebrew, is a good one, thanks to the LXX translation guide,
established by 70 Jewish scholars, who translated Hebrew into Greek for Alexander the Great. The Greek NT follows this translation guide all the time, so we can trace the NT in Greek back to the
inital Hebrew thinking. Why do that? To align the landmarks of Jesus old testimonies with Jesus new testimonies in the New Testament. This allows the words to be the same, and the thoughts to be Hebraic
; thus we are more likely to catch what Scripture is really saying.
So why should the reader trust this Author, rather than some learned famous, well spoken Christian of many years learning and experience?
Trust is important. First please spend some time reading Spiritual Springs. I am a sinner,
without fame, without honour, without respect, just a lowly teacher who is now retired. Consider the way, 'child like' studies of Hebrew words are done;
how every word is listed in the studies with some comments, and how each meaning comes only from Scripture.
Do not trust dictionaries or scholars completely...I am indebited to Jeff Benner for bringing me to Ancient Hebrew, but we often disagree over the meaning of some Hebrew words.
So without embarrassing the books or other authors about the Revival of the Holy Spirit, here are some of the common pitfalls made by their writings:-
What is our condition?
(a) nephesh
This word 'psuchikos' is Strong's 5591, comes from Strong's 5590, a Hebrew word 'nephesh' Strong's 5315.
The Hebrew term 'nephesh' means 'energy', and the translation of Greek into English, in 1Cor 2:14 is a good one, because we are living energy, and this is administrated by the Holy Spirit, as the breath of life.
The Holy Spirit is also an agency for our 'wind' or character, as well as an agency for the 'wind of GOD' or the 'character of GOD'.
Thus there are TWO administrative tasks of the Holy Spirit, to allow us to live (chay) and to quicken us with salvation afresh (chayah).
In other words there is the breath of life, and the breath of salvation.
What Paul is saying here, in our living energy state, unless we accept Jesus as our Saviour, the Holy Spirit does not breathe on us the breath of salvation: " where our character is transformed into Jesus' character".
Some say those people wandering off the path of salvation, do not have any promptings of the Holy Spirit, to seek salvation?
They say such people do not know the Holy Spirit?
Gentiles are people without Moses torah-teachings of salvation. But they are judged by the laws they know via the Holy Spirit in their conscience.
Now if you are already living in this natural state of living energy, the Holy Spirit is already breathing in you continueously the breath of life from the Father.
You also have a God-created gift: the conscience, where the Holy Spirit communicates with mankind all the time, regardless of their sinning, as long as you remain listening
to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
So whether the wicked person knows it or not, the Holy Spirit lives in them, and continues to woo them to Christ,
as long as the conscience communication channel remains open.
(b) basar
Another part of the living energy of the person, is the fleshy component the living energy dwells in and acts upon. This word is used a lot in the New Testament, but the word means
that which pertains to the flesh, the animal like way our living energies of our mind works, if GOD is not taking full control.
Strong's 4559, 'sarkikos' comes from the Hebrew root word 'basar' Strong's 1320. There appears no use of this exact word in the OT.
Thus because there is no OT references for this word we have as Peter writes about "Paul and his wisdom, that some things are hard to understand",
that many "unlearned and unstable wrestle to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3: 15-16).
Hebrew are concrete physical people, and would have said it like that above.
Translated correctly for 'basar'.
Translated correctly for 'basar'.
Changed to the Old Testament Hebrew meaning, if we are flesh, naturally living under free will of choice, we have two rulers over us...
This is what living in our flesh means...our natural flesh is now fallen because of Adam's first sin..
Now one could go on in more detail, but no where does Scripture say we have three conditions of relationship with GOD:-
It is very sad to call some of us 'carnal Christians' for labels like this are harmful, suggesting there is something wrong with our walk with God.
Yes it is true Paul spoke to those believers of flesh as like a simile of babes growing on milk, rather than strong meat... but one cannot say they were less Christian
than Paul was, whatever that term means. That would be like saying, a bigger tree has more favour with Christ than a smaller weaker tree, or
Moses was a better Christian than Joshua, who was a better Christian than Ruth.
If we are babes starting on milk, growing up to a maturity in Christ, this suggests we progress in our attitude and relationship with GOD,
we become more and more empowered with Jesus, and less and less empowered with our human powers of flesh.
The quickening growth of Jesus is a growth process, weak and first but more and more mature later on. See studies on a sin that is NOT unto death . 1Jo 5:17
These references tell us Jesus was a messenger for His Father, and drives out our enemies of our flesh, one by one, little by little, until our new minds rule over the lands of our flesh, with Jesus and Holy Spirit and the Father in heaven.
Thus while all kinds of "christians" were baptised under the Red Sea, including Egyptians and Israelites, Jesus accepts them all, with all kinds of "lusts pertaining to the flesh", they grow in Jesus, little by little, our old ways are destroyed and our new ways in Jesus grow.
What is surrender?
Many books say one has to 'surrender' to really experience Salvation in Jesus, and the true Revival of the Holy Spirit.
What does surrender mean?
First there is not a single word in Scripture that means surrender.
However, there is one Scripture verse that says something similar...
The Greek word 'hupotasso' Strong's 5293, is the Hebrew word 'kabash' Strong's 3533, meaning to 'subdue', to "walk over something and take control of it".
These are the only real verses that give us an idea how GOD walks over our sins and subdues them, casting them into the depths of the sea.
Only in the New Testament, does Paul speak using this term, that we should allow GOD to subdue us.
The above verses really explain things well. Our normal natural minds are of fallen flesh, and as such cannot please GOD, nor be subdued by the law of GOD.
Only when our flesh is subdued by the Holy Spirit, can we please GOD...
so in this sense we have to surrender our flesh, meaning our 'powers of flesh' to GOD...so He can 'walk over our flesh and take control of it'.
This theme will be discussed later on, but for you what GOD subdues in us is our 'weak flesh to act', Jesus said to His disciples
the mind is willing,, but the flesh is weak. He was saying GOD does not subdue our minds, but our flesh.
It is our minds using God's power that we do things right despite our fallen flesh...and achieving this we have to surrender our flesh to GOD...
or allow GOD to subdue our fallen flesh..
What did the foolish virgins do wrong?
Jesus told a strange story. Once there were ten businessmen who went about making money for the Lord,
five business man were wise and took their chargers for their I-pads with them, and five were foolish and did
not take their chargers with them. They were all successfully making money into the late hours of the night,
but soon fell asleep. Suddenly the stock exchange awoke them to make quick decisions for the Lord, but the wise
ones who had their chargers on during the night, could continue with business, while the foolish discovered their
I-pads running low on battery power. It was too late to recharge their I-pads, and the other wise businessmen were busy
with their own I-pads, to help those, who could not make the necessary transactions. When the Lord arrived to see
the increases made by all the businessmen, He was sad that only five made a successful increase, and the five foolish ones
actually lost money.
Both virgins were believers and Christian in their conduct. But the foolish ones did not have the recharging powers
of the Holy Spirit, they ran out of Holy Spirit power when they needed the Holy Spirit most. How does one run out of
the Holy Spirit's power? How do we maintain the Holy Spirit's power? These questions are key to having a Spiritual Revival in Jesus power.
What does a lukewarm Church do wrong?
In Revelation there are some comments made by Jesus to His seven churches...
What makes a lukewarm person? In Laodicea hot spring water travelled over the aquaduct, and over many metres
travelling in the stone channel, became colder until it was eventually lukewarm enough for common bathing. Since Jesus would rather have His church hot, than lukewarm,
what is happening is the Christians were hot once, but eventually run out of Holy Spirit heat, thus their hearts and zeal cool over time...
in other words they run out of Holy Spirit power, over time. So how do we maintain the Holy Spirit's power?
Must we die daily to self?
There is an expectation that 'self must die' in order to be saved. There is no Hebrew word for 'self',
so what do book writers mean when they say 'self must die'?
This term of two Greek words side by side, 'the old man' is the closest phrase one can find to 'self must die'.
Generally speaking scholars make things far too difficult, we wrestle with Paul's writings.
This is especially true with the Hebrew terms 'chata' and 'chataah' which refer to 'sin' but do not have exactly the same meaning.
See studies of 'chata' and 'chataah'.
What does it mean to take up our cross daily? or to die daily?
Is revival of the Holy Spirit an emotion only?
An underlying principle of books about Revival through the Holy Spirit, is to bring back our first love for Jesus, and our joy.
While there is joy in following Jesus, and incredible emotions in the Holy Spirit's revival, it cannot be generated by human efforts of dancing, music or praying in strange mutterings..
The Holy Spirit will not give you the gift of speaking in strange tongues, unless you have to witness to people in strange languages...the Holy Spirit will not glorify 'self'...such a concept
is not in Scripture: the Holy Spirit will not satisfy your presumption.
Nor is the Holy Spirit going to give you signs and wonders to please your pride of achievement, growing in God.
The rains of the Holy Spirit, is just that, similes of water, plain ordinary stuff, but vital for living...
When this plain ordinary solvent is mixed with the mysteries of Godliness, the fruits of the Holy Spirit come.
This is always the true test, for the Revival of the Holy Spirit, not a pious glow of glory, or an emotional joy of walk.
What are these Holy Spirit fruits...? ( From Galatians 5 and 2 Peter 1)
( Note brotherly kindness 'philadelphia' is a term arising from 'philos' meaning femaleness-love, we are stating the origins of brotherly love, where such love comes from, the heavenly Family)
These qualities of character, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, is the true test ye are growing in the spiritual revival of the Holy Spirit. This means you are growing in the latter rains of Jesus, brought to you via the Holy Spirit. Shalom
summary
Now we have only scratched some of the themes mentioned in books about the Holy Spirit Revival for believers.
There are too many themes, it's too complicated and too involved. There is no simple natural process we can follow and understand.
The Masons have a policy to clash 'knowledge with knowledge', so everything is complicated and confusing...hence why we stick to only Sola Scriptoria.
Ps 131:1 O LORD,... I do not exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Shalom
As Einstein once said, "it is best to make things simple, but not simpler..."
On the next web page we shall learn what Holy Spirit revival is.
|
Created by Rob Thompson. Hosted since 10/01/2012. Visitors HOSTED by Prologic, my Son. A thin website.
