IS
THE HOLY
SPIRIT
INCREASING
HIS
POWER IN
YOU?
Show me
a pastor
who is
not
devotedly
teaching
others
to
operate
in the
miraculous
gifts
and
power of
the Holy
Spirit
and I
will
show you
a pastor
who is
failing
to
experience
it in
himself.
The Holy
Spirit’s
anointing
can be
enhanced
in us
only in
proportion
to our
seeking
its
increase
and
magnification
in
others.
As we
seek to
mentor
new
believers
and
bring
them
into the
Holy
Spirit’s
empowering
we
simultaneously
increase
the
strength
of the
anoin
ting in
ourselves.
This was
fundamental
in the
teaching
of
Jesus.
His
parable
of the
man who
buried
his gift
is very
emphatic.
In
spiritual
gifting
we
either
use it
or lose
it. We
pastors
may
weep,
pray,
fast,
beg,
study
Scripture,
seek the
Holy
Spirit’s
greater
endowment.
That is
well and
good.
But all
of that
may be
to no
avail if
we are
not
dedicated
to
helping
others
participate
in the
same
anointing.
To
experience
the Holy
Spirit’s
increase
of power
one must
“give it
away”.
There is
no
exception
to this
rule.
Hear
what
Jesus
said:
“For to
everyone
who has,
more
will be
given,
and he
will
have
abundance;
but from
him who
does not
have,
even
what he
has will
be taken
away.”
Matthew
25:29.
Was
Jesus
speaking
about
the Holy
Spirit’s
gifting?
Observe
the full
text:
"So I
say to
you,
ask, and
it will
be given
to you;
seek,
and you
will
find;
knock,
and it
will be
opened
to you.
For
everyone
who asks
receives,
and he
who
seeks
finds,
and to
him who
knocks
it will
be
opened.
If a son
asks for
bread
from any
father
among
you,
will he
give him
a stone?
Or if he
asks for
a fish,
will he
give him
a
serpent
instead
of a
fish? Or
if he
asks for
an egg,
will he
offer
him a
scorpion?
If you
then,
being
evil,
know how
to give
good
gifts to
your
children,
how much
more
will
your
heavenly
Father
give the
Holy
Spirit
to those
who ask
Him!"
Luke
11:9-14.
As you
benefit
others
so you
will be
benefitted.
Jesus
said,
“Give,
and it
will be
given to
you:
good
measure,
pressed
down,
shaken
together,
and
running
over
will be
put into
your
bosom.
For with
the same
measure
that you
use, it
will be
measured
back to
you."
Luke
6:38.
The
Apostle
Paul was
motivated
by this
same
principle
when he
wrote
the
Romans.
“For I
long to
see you,
that I
may
impart
to you
some
spiritual
gift,
so20that
you may
be
established–that
is, that
I may be
encouraged
together
with you
by the
mutual
faith
both of
you and
me ... I
am a
debtor
both to
Greeks
and to
barbarians,
both to
wise and
to
unwise.
So, as
much as
is in
me, I am
ready to
preach
the
gospel
to you
who are
in Rome
also.”
1:11-15.
Paul’s
using
the
words
“encouraged
together”
and
“debtor”
emphasizes
his
determination
not to
bury his
talent.
Peter
instructed
believers
to
minister
to each
other.
He said:
“And
above
all
things
have
fervent
love for
one
another,
for love
will
cover a
multitude
of
(your)
sins. Be
hospitable
to one
another
without
grumbling.
As each
one has
received
a gift,
minister
it to
one
another,
as good
stewards
of the
manifold
grace of
God. If
anyone
speaks,
let him
speak as
the
oracles
of God.
If
anyone
ministers,
let him
do it as
with the
ability
which
God
supplies,
that in
all
things
God may
be
glorified
through
Jesus
Christ,
to whom
belong
the
glory
and the
dominion
forever
and
ever.
Amen.” 1
Peter
4:8-11.
Ego is
the
ministry’s
most
dangerous
foe.
During
hands-on
ministry
people
are
sometimes
shoved
to the
floor in
a
fraudulent
cover-up
for the
Holy
Spirit’s
absence.
Such
action
is
mockery.
There
are at
least
six
different
ways the
Holy
Spirit
will
communicate
with us.
All of
these
become
endangered
if ego
and
pride
invade
our
ministry.
When
offended,
the Holy
Spirit
becomes
silent,
inactive.
If you
want to
increasing
the
“demonstration
of the
Spirit
and
power”,
I
Corinthians
2:1-5,
ask the
Holy
Spirit
to
enlighten
you
regarding
the
following
scriptures.
It is
not
enough
to read
them
intellectually;
you must
see
below
the
surface
and
experience
the
epiphany
they
contain.
1. THE
HOLY
SPIRIT
BEARS
WITNESS
DIRECTLY
TO OUR
SPIRITS:
Romans
8:16.
“The
Spirit
Himself
bears
witness
with our
spirit
that we
are
children
of God.”
1 John
5:6-8.
“And it
is the
Spirit
who
bears
witness,
because
the
Spirit
is
truth.
For
there
are
three
that
bear
witness
in
heaven:
the
Father,
the
Word,
and the
Holy
Spirit;
and
these
three
are
one.”
Acts
16:7-8.
“After
they had
come to
Mysia,
they
tried to
go into
Bithynia
, but
the
Spirit
did not
permit
them.”
2. THE
HOLY
SPIRIT
WILL
LEAD US
OUTWARDLY:
Acts
16:6-7.
“Now
when
they had
gone
through
Phrygia
and the
region
of
Galatia,
they
were
forbidden
by the
Holy
Spirit
to
preach
the word
in
Asia.”
Genesis
24:27:
“As for
me,
being on
the way,
the Lord
led me
to the
house of
my
master's
brethren."
Galatians
5:16-17.
“Walk in
the
Spirit,
and you
shall
not
fulfill
the lust
of the
flesh.”
3. THE
HOLY
SPIRIT
WILL
SPEAK TO
US IN
WORDS
AND
SENTENCES:
Acts
8:27-29.
“And
behold,
a man of
Ethiopia,
a eunuch
of great
authority
under
Candace
the
queen of
the
Ethiopians,
who had
charge
of all
her
treasury,
and had
come to
Jerusalem
to
worship,
was
returning.
And
sitting
in his
chariot,
he was
reading
Isaiah
the
prophet.
Then the
Spirit
said to
Philip,
‘Go near
and
overtake
this
chariot.’"
Acts
10:19-21.
“While
Peter
thought
about
the
vision,
the
Spirit
said to
him,
‘Behold,
three
men are
seeking
you.
Arise
therefore,
go down
and go
with
them,
doubting
nothing;
for I
have
sent
them.’"
4. THE
HOLY
SPIRIT
WILL
SPEAK TO
US
PROPHETICALLY
THROUGH
OTHERS:
Acts
11:27-28.
“And in
these
days
prophets
came
from
Jerusalem
to
Antioch.
Then one
of them,
named
Agabus,
stood up
and
showed
by the
Spirit
that
there
was
going to
be a
great
famine
throughout
all the
world,
which
also
happened
in the
days of
Claudius
Caesar.”
Acts
6:8-11.
“And
Stephen,
full of
faith
and
power,
did
great
wonders
and
signs
among
the
people.
Then
there
arose
some
from
what is
called
the
Synagogue
of the
Freedmen
(Cyrenians,
Alexandrians,
and
those
from
Cilicia
and
Asia),
disputing
with
Stephen.
And they
were not
able to
resist
the
wisdom
and the
Spirit
by which
he
spoke.”
5. THE
HOLY
SPIRIT
GIVES
REVELATION
KNOWLEDGE:
Ephesians
3:1-6.
“For
this
reason
I, Paul,
the
prisoner
of
Christ
Jesus
for you
Gentiles
— if
indeed
you have
heard of
the
dispensation
of the
grace of
God
which
was
given to
me for
you, how
that by
revelation
He made
known to
me the
mystery
(as I
have
briefly
written
already,
by
which,
when you
read,
you may
understand
my
knowledge
in the
mystery
of
Christ),
which in
other
ages was
not made
known to
the sons
of men,
as it
has now
been
revealed
by the
Spirit
to His
holy
apostles
and
prophets
...”
1
Corinthians
2:9-10.
"Eye has
not
seen,
nor ear
heard,
Nor have
entered
into the
heart of
man The
things
which
God has
prepared
for
those
who20love
Him. But
God has
revealed
them to
us
through
His
Spirit.
For the
Spirit
searches
all
things,
yes, the
deep
things
of God.”
6. THE
HOLY
SPIRIT
SPEAKS
THROUGH
THE
WRITTEN
WORD OF
SCRIPTURE:
2 Peter
1:19-2:1.
“And so
we have
the
prophetic
word
confirmed,
which
you do
well to
heed as
a light
that
shines
in a
dark
place,
until
the day
dawns
and the
morning
star
rises in
your
hearts;
knowing
this
first,
that no
prophecy
of
Scripture
is of
any
private
interpretation,
for
prophecy
never
came by
the will
of man,
but holy
men of
God
spoke as
they
were
moved by
the Holy
Spirit.”
This
theological
fact may
surprise
you but
the term
“Christian,”
first
given to
believers
in
Antioch,
Acts
11:26,
was not
a
designation
of their
having
been
born-again.
The
Greek
language
is very
specific
and uses
the term
“Christian”
to
identify
a
person’s
having
been
“anointed.”
The
Greek
word “chrios,”
from
which
both
“Christ”
and
“Christian”
are
derived,
is
translated
every
time in
the New
Testament
as
“anointing.”
“Christ,”
or the
“anointed
one” in
Greek,
is the
exact
equivalent
of
“Messiah”
in
Hebrew.
That
simply
means
that the
word
“Christian”
originally
identified
those
disciples
who had
been
empowered
through
the
baptism
in the
Holy
Spirit.
These
followers
of Jesus
were
“anointed”
in the
same
fashion
that the
anointing
had come
on Him.
When
Pentecost
came and
the Holy
Spirit
was
poured
into the
Upper
Room, it
fulfilled
Jesus’
promise
to the
disciples,
“You
will
receive
power
when the
Holy
Spirit
comes
upon
you.”
Acts
1:8.
My only
motive
in
sharing
this
fact is
to be
Scripturally
accurate.
Today,
the term
“Christian”
has a
wide
variety
of
meanings:
To
evangelicals,
the most
common
usage
denotes
a
person’s
having
experienced
the new
birth
and
walking
in a
public
acknowledgment
of Jesus
Christ.
I am
willing
to
continue
with
this
historic
interpretation.
To
liturgical
Protestants,
a
Christian
is one
whose
family
ancestry
is
rooted
into the
church
and who,
as an
infant,
received
water
baptism.
Whether
such a
person
is
active
in the
church
or
attempts
to
conform
his
life-style
to the
New
Testament
pattern
is not
necessarily
a factor
in
identifying
him as
Christian.
This
idea
does
great
violence
to
Scripture.
Much is
preached
about
Paul's
experience
on the
Damascus
Road;
tragically
little
about
what
happened
to him
in the
Damascus
Room.
The loss
is
regrettable.
On the
Damascus
Road,
Paul was
born-again.
In the
Damascus
Room, he
received
spiritual
gifts
that
presented
him to
the
Throne
of
Caesar
and
reshaped
the
history
of
mankind.
That is
not an
overstatement.
Paul's
invasion
of the
Roman
world
could
never be
credited
to the
man
himself.
It was
the Holy
Spirit
working
through=2
0him
that
emptied
pagan
temples
and
brought
heathen
philosophy
to ruin.
In his
own
life-time,
Paul was
labeled
as one
who
"turned
the
world
upside
down".
The
anointing,
in the
operation
of
spiritual
gifts,
accomplished
the
works.
The
absence
of such
success
today is
not
because
God has
withdrawn
the
anointing.
Quite
the
contrary.
The
Church
has quit
believing
in its
fullness.
In the
same
fashion
Paul
received
the
Spirit's
imparting
from
Ananias,
he later
bestowed
the gift
to young
Timothy.
II
Timothy
1:6. To
the
Roman
Church,
he
wrote,
"I long
to see
you that
I may
impart
to you
some
spiritual
gift, so
that you
may be
established."
Romans
1:11.
Though
Paul
addressed
the
Romans
as
saints,
he knew
they
needed
additional
grace-gifts
to be
established.
These
gifts
could
not be
communicated
in the
letter;
Paul had
to be
present
for the
laying-on-of-hands.
Though
it is
not
apparent
in our
English
translations,
Paul us
ed the
word
"grace"
five
times to
identify
miraculous
gifts in
First
Corinthians
twelve.
The word
"grace",
charis,
appears
ten
times in
the Book
of Acts,
giving
equal
emphasis
to both
its
saving
and
gifting
concepts.
In Paul
and
Barnabas'
ministry
in
Iconium,
for
example,
"The
Lord ...
was
bearing
witness
to the
word of
His
grace,
granting
signs
and
wonders
to be
done by
their
hands."
Acts
14:3.
Observe,
it was
the
anointing
that
produced
signs
and
wonders.
A major
demonstration
was the
healing
of the
lame man
at
Lystra.
Acts
14:8-10.
This
display
of grace
was an
exact
parallel
of the
man
healed
earlier
at the
Temple
Gate in
Jerusalem.
Peter's
command
had
been,
"In the
Name of
Jesus
Christ
of
Nazareth,
rise up
and
walk,"
Acts
3:6;
Paul's
command
was,
"Stand
up
straight
on your
feet!"
Results
were
exactly
the
same. In
both
cases,
grace
touched
them.
In each
case the
anointing–through
the
grace-gift
of
healing–was
operating.
The
explanation
later
given of
the man
in the
Temple
was
this:
"With
great
power
the
Apostles
gave
witness
of the
resurrection
of the
Lord
Jesus:
and
great
grace
was upon
them
all."
Acts
4:33.
Hear
this
carefully.
The mos
t
convincing
proof of
Jesus'
resurrection
was not
the
Apostles'
preaching.
It was
the lame
man
running
and
leaping
through
the
Temple.
Grace,
in the
form of
a
spiritual-gift
had
touched
him.
This
visible
manifestation
of
healing-grace
witnessed
more
powerfully
to the
people
about
the
invisible
reality
of
saving
grace
than did
the
Apostles'
preaching.
Why had
it
happened?
The Holy
Spirit
confirmed
the word
of grace
by
demonstrating
a
grace-gift.
Luke
16:20.
It was
not
grace as
a
doctrine
but
grace as
a
manifested
power
that
proved
Jesus to
be
alive.
A
similar
demonstration
of the
anointing
is
described
when
Barnabas
arrived
in
Antioch:
"Who,
when he
came,
and had
seen the
grace of
God, was
glad
..."
Acts
11:23.
How did
Barnabas
see
grace in
action?
Multitudes
were
born-again,
healed,
cleansed
from
demons,
baptized
in the
Spirit,
with
other
life-changing
effects
taking
place.
We have
the same
pattern
when the
disciples
"went
out and
preached
everywhere,
the Lord
working
with
them and
confirming
the word
through
the
accompanying
signs."
Mark
16:20.
Two
things
happened:
The
anointed
disciples
preached
the word
of grace
and the
Holy
Spirit
validated
it's
truth by
bestowing
grace-gifts.
These
manifestations
were
visible,=2
0tangible,
and
obvious
to the
eye.
Jewish
authorities
had been
able to
deny the
Apostles'
preaching,
but
after
the
healing
of the
lame man
at the
Temple
gate,
they had
this to
say of
Peter
and
John:
"That a
notable
miracle
has been
done
through
them is
evident
to all
who
dwell in
Jerusalem,
and we
cannot
deny
it."
Acts
4:16.
Now, as
then,
the
miraculous
life
should
identify
every
Christian
life.
Luke's
introduction
to the
Book of
Acts
emphasizes
two
aspects
in the
ministry
of
Jesus.
He
wrote,
"The
former
account,
I made,
O
Theolphilus,
of all
that
Jesus
began
both to
do and
teach."
Acts
1:1.
Jesus’
ministry
was not
limited
to
teaching.
It was
doing
and
teaching.
This is
the
pattern
intended
for all
New
Testament
disciples.
Our
teaching
is to be
confirmed
by
"signs
following".
Both
aspects
are
required
if the
anointing
is to be
fully
revealed.
Be aware
that it
is
possible:
1. To
"receive
the
grace of
God in
vain",
II
Corinthians
6:1.
2. To
"frustrate
the
grace of
God",
Galatians
2:21.
3. To
"insult
the
Spirit
of
grace",
Hebrews
10:29.
Each
ministry
of the
Spirit
must be
directed
by His
specific
instructions.
Only
then can
the
anointing
operate
in its'
own
power.
Human
understanding
is
vastly
inadequate
for such
a task.
The
Apostle
John
explains,
"You
have an
anointing
(chrisma)
from the
Holy One
and know
all
things."
I John
2:20.
This
"knowing
all
things"
refers
to our
being
rightly
instructed
by the
Holy
Spirit
to
minister
only as
the
Father
directs.
Consequently,
we are
to "lay
hands
suddenly
on no
man", I
Timothy
5:22,
and are
not at
liberty
to
follow
our own
choices.
Even
Jesus
acknowledged
"The Son
can do
nothing
of
Himself,
but what
He sees
the
Father
do; for
whatever
He does,
the Son
also
does in
like
manner
." John
5:19.
Additionally,
He
explained,
"My
doctrine
is not
Mine but
His who
sent
me." Our
major
problem
is that
we do
not wait
to hear
what
"the
Spirit
says to
the
churches".
Revelation
2:11. We
rush
ahead,
mistakenly
thinking
that our
enthusiasm
is
faith.
In that
urgency
we do
not wait
for
instruction
from the
"still
small
voice".
I Kings
19:12.
God does
not
fail.
Nor does
He want
us to
fail.
When
failure
happens,
it is
because
we did
not
listen
and
obey.
Jesus
said,
"My
sheep
hear My
voice
..."
John
10:27.
In a
consistent
way the
Holy
Spirit
emphasizes
the
purpose
of the
anointing
in a
three-point
pattern
to many
congregations
where I
preach.
1. He
desires
to
normalize
our
lives.
Luke
8:35.
2. Next,
He will
empower
our
lives.
Acts
1:8.
3.
Ultimately,
He will
glorify
our
lives.
John
17:10,22.
Those
who
minister
in the
anointing
must be
patient
and
gracious
to those
who are
critical
about
Pentecost.
"A
servant
of the
Lord
must not
quarrel
but be
gentle
to all,
able to
teach,
patient,
in
humility
correcting
those
who are
in
opposition
if God
perhaps
will
grant
them
repentance,
so that
they may
know the
truth,
and that
they may
come to
their
sense
and
escape
the
snare of
the
devil,
having
been
taken
captive
by him
to do
his
will."
II
Timothy
2:24-26.
THE
ANOINTING
MAY BE
MINISTERED
THROUGH
THE
"LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS"
Jesus
said,
"These
signs
will
follow
those
who
believe:
In My
Name ...
they
will lay
hands on
the
sick,
and they
will
recover."
Mark
16:17,18.
Reference
to
"laying-on-hands"
appears
some 28
times in
the New
Testament.
Only
four or
five
times
does it
refer to
the
ordination
of
ministers
and
deacons.
All
other
instances
regard
healing,
ministering
the
baptism-in-the-Spirit,
imparting
of
spiritual
gifts.
No where
is the
significance
of this
ministry
more
clearly
demonstrated
than in
the
Scriptural
teaching
that our
bodies
are the
"Temple
of the
Holy
Spirit".
Please
understand
this
carefully:
It is
the
Temple
of the
Holy
Spirit
inside
the
human
body
through
which
the
power is
released.
I
repeat,
the
human
hand
apart
from the
Holy
Spirit's
presence
is
meaningless.
In
Samaria,
Peter
laid
hands on
the
people.
Acts
8:17. In
Caesarea,
he did
not.
Acts
10:44.
In both
cases
results
were the
same.
Peter's
Temple-body
was
present
and in=2
0the
latter
case,
the
power
fell
without
physical
contact.
The same
principle
was true
when
Peter
walked
the
streets
of
Jerusalem
and the
invalid
were
healed
by the
touch of
his
shadow.
Acts
5:15.
There is
no
healing
power in
a
shadow.
Rather,
it was
the
nearness
of
Peter's
Temple-body
and the
anointing
radiating
from it
that
brought
miraculous
results.
When a
ministering-Temple
rightly
contacts
a
receiving-Temple,
there is
frequently
a
visible
movement
of the
Holy
Spirit
from the
first to
the
second.
The
result
may be
healing,
deliverance,
baptism,
or some
unidentified
purpose.
Electric
current
"arching"
from one
terminal
to
another
illustrates
this
transfer
of
power.
This
sometimes
occurs
dramatically.
People
may
collapse
to the
floor,
begin
jerking,
making
noises,
vibrating,
or
moving
uncontrollably.
Simply
explained,
the
human
body
sometimes
cannot
cope
with the
sudden
invasion
of
spiritual
power.
Jerking,
shaking,
falling,
is not
what the
Spirit
is
trying
to
accomplish.
These
are
merely
the
by-products
of the
Spirit's
presence.
Standing
or
falling
is not
the test
of
successful
ministry.
I once
had a
father
and son
come
forward
for
prayer
for the
son's
declining
eyesight.
Blindness
threatened
him.
When I
laid
hands on
them si
multaneously,
the
father
was
slammed
to the
floor.
The
youth
seemed
unaffected.
Nothing
visible
happened.
Thankfully,
the
doctor
confirmed
that the
boy was
healed.
Those
who
minister
in this
capacity
sometimes
feel the
power
leaving
their
Temple
but
failing
to enter
the
other
party.
This
happens
because
of
resistance
in the
one
receiving.
The
person's
impregnability
may rise
from
pride,
fear,
jealousy,
unforgiveness,
an
undesirable
spirit,
or a
variety
of other
things.
"Believing"
is the
absolute
essential.
Faith is
expectation.
The
authority
of the
Word
must
assume
greater
influence
than the
opposition.
Divine
Truth as
revealed
in
Scripture
must be
incontestable
fact:
"He who
is in
you is
greater
than he
who is
in the
world."
I John
4:4.
Once you
have
received
the
anointing
start
giving
it away!
Teach
others
how to
minister
in the
power of
God.
Encourage
them to
step-out
in
faith.
Pray
that
their
ministry
will
exceed
your
own!
Then
watch
the
power of
the
anointing
increase
phenomenally
in
yourself.
“Freely
you have
received,
freely
give.” I
fully
believe
this is
a fact:
Show me
someone
who is
devotedly
teaching
others
to
operate
in the
miraculous
gifts
and
power of
the Holy
Spirit
and I
will
show you
someone
who is
wonderfully
experiencing
it in
himself.
Amen!
DEREK
PRINCE
is now
with the
Lord but
please
hear
what he
had to
say
about
the U
.S. and
Israel:
"I am
British
by
background
and I
was
serving
with the
British
forces
in
Israel
until I
was
discharged
from the
army in
1946. At
that
time,
the
British
Empire
was
probably
as large
in
territory
as any
empire
in
recorded
history,
having
come
victoriously
through
two
world
wars.
Yet,
between
1948 and
the
following
few
years,
the
British
Empire
fell
apart
totally,
until
today
Britain
is
hardly a
major
world
power
any
longer.
Britain
was
never
defeated
in war.
There is
only one
explanation
for this
dramatic
decline
in the
history
and
destiny
of
Britain.
In the
years
1947 and
1948 ...
Britain
did
everything
short of
open war
to
frustrate
and
prevent
the
birth of
the
state of
Israel.
That is
the
point at
which
the
decline
of the
British
Empire
became
an
avalanche.
Today I
am an
American
citizen,
and I
want to
say to
my
fellow
Americans,
I see
the
American
government
following
the same
policy
as
Britain
followed
in 1947
and 1948
... The
United
States
might be
the
wealthiest
and most
powerful
nation,
but that
makes no
difference.
Any
nation
that
does not
serve
God’s
purposes
will
perish.
God
says:
"For the
nation
and
kingdom
which
will not
serve
you
(Israel)
shall
perish,
and
those
nations
shall be
utterly
ruined."
Isaiah
60:12.
