During the time of the beginning of the church, the disciples were pressured by many responsibilities. The practical things of life could not be attended to, and many were complaining concerning the neglect of their widows. Therefore, the disciples decided to choose seven men to do the work for caring for the needs of their widows, men who were " full of the Holy Spirit."
What a divine thought. No matter what kind of work was to be done, however menial or great it may have been, the person chosen had to be "full of the Holy Spirit." The plan of the church was that everything, even everyday routines, must be sanctified to God, for the church had to be a Holy Spirit church.
And to this day, God has never ordained anything less. The church must be a Holy Spirit church!
The heritage of the church is to be so equipped with power that God can lay his hand upon any member at any time to do his perfect will. There is no stopping point in the Holy Spirit church. That was true then, now, and forever. However, the church has gone astray.
I say this with considerable sorrow that the modern day church has closed its doors to the leadings of the precious Holy Spirit. The church has become sense led and not Spirit led! This is why our churches are so ineffective in meeting the needs of the body. Today's Word is based more on intellect then divine revelation.
When we get saved; we get God through his son Jesus Christ. When we get baptized in the Holy Spirit; God gets us. The Holy Spirit who indwells in every believer; we now yield to His leadership. This is sadly missing in today's church. Many pastors think they are God, and they don't even know the nature of God.
Pastors give great thought to their weekly sermons. They plan, they research, they write, they revise, and they rehearse. Instead of being led by the Holy Spirit as to the needs of the body of Christ-the church-they believe they know best the needs of the flock. They are being deceived by the great deceiver.
Many times, churches are user-friendly; avoiding what needs to be said and done. Their fear is if they rock the boat, membership will go elsewhere. Instead of ministering prayer and healing, they serve coffee.
In a poll of evangelical Christians, 85% said that they did not experience God last year. I saw nowhere in the Bible where it states that we should have thousands of denominations who each practice their own separate beliefs. We should have one church who follows the New Testament, God's greater covenant.
The qualification for leadership in the church should be whether or not a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. That is all that is needed for a person to be an effective minister, doer, and teacher of the Word. It doesn't matter what school the pastor attended, or how many degrees he holds. It only matters that the Holy Spirit indwells in him and he is led by that Holy Spirit.
If the above were the rule instead of the exception, our churches would be filled and our bars would be empty. Divorce would be almost nonexistent; families would be a family again.
The Holy Spirit is God; He is part of the Trinity. It is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the same Holy Spirit who indwelled in John the Baptist, Jesus, the disciples, and all New Testament believers. Just imagine, if you are a believer he dwells in you. Through Him, you have authority and ultimate power.
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