The Holy Spirit in Evangelism
Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil there has been a battle between good and evil in claiming the hearts and souls of man. Satan, in absolute rebellion against God for throwing him out of Heaven because of his evil, now wants to hurt God by taking as many human beings, whom he knows God loves, down to Hell with him. This has resulted in two types of people on earth:
i. Those who know they need God and want to go God's way. These are people like Abraham, Noah, the Apostles and Paul. Jesus was the most perfect example who kept God's commandments. John 14:31, "The world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me."
ii. The second group feel they have no need of God. They set their own standards and laws. They are in rebellion against God because they believe they can make it on their own. People like Cain, Nimrod, and Esau. The Devil is the most perfect example of this. In Isaiah 14:4 he said. "I will make myself like the most High "
These two types of people have continued to this day. World Thought has therefore taken one of these two routes
i. Judaism and Christianity berieve in one God. This leads to evangelism, fundamental purification and the rapture.
ii. Hellenistic - basically from the East. This leads to Humanism which means man is god, this leads to:
iii. Rationalism - man trying to be god through his reason. This leads to iv. Existentialism - man gives up and reaches for the eternal spirit leading to: v. Occultism - Satan worship which leads to the Anti-Christ.
Right now in the West we already well into the phase of Existentialism, and some are, already practising occultism.
This is not new. This is the same Humanism that existed just before Jesus came to earth. Protogoras (5n Century BC) was the founder of Humanism. He said, "man is the measure of all things", that man is-flie fullness and ultimate of everything.
To this heathen thinker, man was in fact God. Aristotle. Socrates and Plato shared his dilemma. Soon this man is God philosophy spread over the known world, being well received by the rebellious proud hearts of sinful man. for now he was the only God.
Do you see this happening again today'?
What did God do about it?
Something happened to give early Humanism a powerful setback; Galatians 4:4 "In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son". JESUS APPERARED IN HUMAN HISTORY. His life death and resurrection from the grip of death shook the known world and the course of history was greatly changed.
A living relationship with Christ changed thousands of lives as the Early Church left such a powerful impact the human race. Humanism was then forced underground because men found that they were not God and on the contrary they needed Him and His love to give true meaning to life. The saving power of Christ reached masses and with this experience the awful darkness was lifted from man's mind. Now he could see and think aright and know God.
The cursed chains of Humanism fell off and went underground to get into an organisation called the Freemasons, to become the master builders of the pyramids, leading to Satan worship. The three letters, J B H, stand for Jehovah, Baal and Hoseras. See the unfinished pyramid on a dollar note. It stands for the unfinished tower of Babel. The eye on top is the evil eye. David Rockafella said in 1970 "We stand for one world religion, Satanism." With the New Age movement the pyramid on the dollar will be complete. It is interesting to note that the god of Hinduism is the same.
What is God doing about it?
Matthew 24:14, "and this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. "
Markl6:15-20, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
He who believes and is baptised will be saved, but he who does not believe will be
condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe in my name they will
cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues...... "
i. The Holy Spirit has been promised to comfort us, to help us, and we will succeed for the Lord Himself will confirm our message of the gospel with signs and wonders following. (Mark 16:20)
ii. As we preach the Gospel, Jesus is right there with us, confirming His Word to
the lost by signs wonders and healing miracles that follow each one of us in
Jesus Christ. Over and over and ert'er again the Lord does it. Every single time ,
Jesus is there to heal the sick and confirm His message. He is alive, he is moving, every single meeting no matter how large or small it is, I have watched the Lord heal the sick, set people free and bring them to salvation. That is why I can never stop preaching the Word of God, while I am still on earth. When you step out in faith and do the same, you will not want to stop either.
The Holy Spirit Gifts
iii. This is my personal belief, that the state that the world is in right now has to come back to that state where the world was on the first coming of Christ, then this will usher Christ's second return. John the Baptist was the forerunner of the first coining of Christ preaching "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I believe that as we preach the Gospel message we will see the Kingdom of God in grater and greater measure as the Holy Spirit moves more and more powerfully in healings and miracles, in preparation of the greatest event of all history. We. you and I. are His forerunners. Let us run with the Gospel.
iv. In Ghana, Africa, at a Pastor's conference the Holy Spirit came down upon us in power and revealed his heart for the lost. "Why, why are you still sitting in your houses when people are dying under the evil One. Take up your cross and go out and you shall succeed because I am with you." These African pastors received this prophecy literally. They did not waste a day. It was the 1st December 2005 when they received the prophecy. By 22nd December 2005 these 20 pastors had reached 200 villages for Jesus, many of them by bicycle. That is 10 villages reached per pastor, in 20 days. Let's follow their example.
John 14:12 IS FOR US NOW IN THIS AGE because Jesus has gone to the Father.
Matthew 9:36-38 IS FOR US NOW. Jesus has compassion. "When he saw the crowds He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, Then he said to His disciples 'The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few, pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.'"
The Lord has commissioned you and me to go out as labourers into His harvest. He has given us all we ever need through His Holy Spirit to accomplish His work. We shall succeed for Jesus will go with us. We are on the winning side. It is impossible to lose, if the battle is already won and Jesus won the battle on the cross.
Let us go forth and proclaim the victory we have in Jesus and Jesus will do the rest, people will be miraculously saved, healed and delivered in front of our eyes, as Jesus
does it.
DISCUSSION
- Look up the Commission of the Twelve. (Matthew 10:1-8)
- Look up the Commission of the Seventy. (Luke 10:1-9)
- Look up the Commission to every believer (Acts 8:6-8, 10:10-12)
- Study Mark 16:15-20 and make a list of commands and promises
- Are you obeying these commands and claiming these promises9