THEME: RIVERS OF LIVING WATER.
MEMORISE:
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; Mark 16:17
READ: John 7:37-38
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
MESSAGE:
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a spiritual experience that is highly misunderstood in Christendom today. It was prophesied in Joel 2:28:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”
It was promised by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after …shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”.
This was then actualized by Jesus Christ when He said “But ye shall receive power after tat the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” (Acts 1:8). This is the means by which the Holy Spirit initiates Christians into spiritual communion with Jesus Christ, with the evidence of speaking in tongues and for the purpose of equipping them for God’s service.
Joel 2:28 and Acts 1:8 clearly states that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit gives access to some supernatural gift and abilities like prophecy, healing and vision.
To receive the baptism of the Holy spirit, one must develop an insatiable hunger and thirst for His infilling (John 7:37-38). In the scripture above, Jesus said anyone that believes in Him as the Holy Spirit Baptizer, will become a source of living water. He also said that those who drink from Him willnever thirst again (John 4:14). Acts 2:38-39 says
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you…..”
God provided the Holy Spirit as a means of solving all human problems. However, we must first repent of all our sins, accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and then receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. May the living waters flow through you to the whole world in the mighty name of Jesus.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please fill me with the Holy Spirit that Your power may flow through me, in the mighty name of Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 56, 120, 140-142.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 19: NEARER, MY GOD TO THEE.
1. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
o Refrain:
Nearer to Thee!
2. Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee.
3. There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.
4. Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.
5. Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
6. There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,
There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;
Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee.