IF I HAD A CHOICE, I WOULD STILL CHOOSE TO REMAIN BLIND... FOR WHEN I DIE, THE FIRST FACE I WILL EVER SEE WILL, BE THE FACE OF MY BLESSED SAVIOUR.
Quote from Fanny Crosby who went blind at a young age due to a Doctor's error. She was a prolific hymn writer who wrote thousands of hymns including Blessed Assurance.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood
This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long
Perfect submission, perfect delight Visions of rapture now burst on my sight Angels descending bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love
This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long Praising my Savior all the day long
The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, comes in power and He uses the vessel yielded unto Him. I cannot use the Holy Spirit, He must use me. It is not so important that I touch anyone, but rather that the Holy Spirit touch the life, the heart, and fill the individual with himself.
CHANGE YOUR OIL The Bible often likens the anointing of the Holy Spirit to oil. Both can be felt and experienced. And some observations about the qualities and characteristics of oil can actually help you understand the workings of the Spirit.
For example, oil evaporates if it is not replenished regularly; it will eventually disappear. You may want to try it sometime. Pour some oil into a container and let it sit for a long time and you will find that some of it has evaporated. If enough time passes, you will find that the vessel that held the oil will be empty, with little evidence that it once held oil. The Spirit doesn't evaporate, but you may think He has if you neglect Him that way. You must constantly allow the oil of the Spirit to flow over your life,refreshing your spiritual life. You do this through prayer, through fellowship with God, and through reading the Word of God. The anointing will remain on your life as you continue to walk and talk with (not always to) the Lord. When you spend time in His presence, the rich oil of the Holy Spirit will flow over your life, refreshing and renewing your spirit. Another interesting characteristic about oil is that it leaks if there is a hole in the vessel. The hole may be tiny, or even undetectable to the naked eye, but if there is any blemish or impurity in the composition of the vessel, the oil will find it and leak out. Ephesians 4 cautions about any potential "holes" in your vessel when it says to give no "place" to the devil. The word place derives from the Greek word for "avenue" or "window." So you are to give no avenue to the devil. Don't allow the holes of bitterness,unforgiveness, self-pity, and the like to creep into your life. For the precious oil of the Spirit will drain out. These "holes" that attack your vessel of the Spirit are so subtle that in infancy they are difficult to detect. Bitterness can creep in almost unnoticed. And how many times have you encountered someone who is losing a lot of oil because of the holes of self-pity? All you hear from such people is "Poor, poor me." As you seek and walk in the anointing, it is imperative that you guard against these holes and concentrate on keeping your oil fresh.
Another truth about oil is that only fresh oil has the proper density thickness to serve an engine or machine well. That thickness is called viscosity, and it's important, for it measures the ability of oil to withstand heat and pressure and to reduce friction or stress. The lower the viscosity, the less will the oil protect under certain levels of pressure. As you know, it is important that you change the oil in your car regularly—so important that most auto manufacturers recommend changing the oil every three to five thousand miles to get the maximum benefit. Otherwise, in addition to getting dirty, the oil gets thin and discolored and can harm rather than protect the engine. So also will your anointing wear thin under the heat of spiritual warfare. That is why you must give daily attention to prayer and Bible study. It's the only way to build and maintain your spiritual thickness and strength.
- Pastor Benny Hinn ( The Anointing) - JESUS SAVES TV
THE ANOINTING OF THE APOSTLE. The most significant statement in the Bible regarding the office is that it was filled by Christ Himself. The Greek word apostolos, translated "apostle," means "one sent forth, a sent one." Jesus Christ is the greatest example of a sent one: JOHN 20:21 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: AS MY FATHER HATH SENT ME, even so send I you. A true apostle is always one with a commission—not one who merely goes, but one who is sent. A Bible example is found in Acts 13, where Barnabas and Paul were sent forth to be apostles to the Gentiles.
The Bible also speaks of the signs of an apostle: 2 CORINTHIANS 12:12 12 Truly the signs of an APOSTLE were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. The "signs," then, are signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. To stand in this office, one must have a personal experience with the Lord—something very deep and real, something beyond the ordinary—not just something secondhand or handed down by tradition. Notice that Paul said, in defending his apostleship, "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? HAVE I NOT SEEN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD?... " (1 Cor. 9:1). Paul did not see Jesus in the flesh as the twelve did, but he saw Jesus in a spiritual vision (Acts 9:3-6). He had a deep spiritual experience with the Lord. Even his conversion was beyond the ordinary. In fact, Paul had such a deep spiritual experience with the Lord that he could say concerning what he knew about the Lord's Supper, "For I have received o f the Lord that which also I delivered unto you . . . . " (1 Cor. 11:23). Paul didn't learn what he knew about this subject from the other apostles. He got it by revelation. Jesus gave it to him.
Paul wasn't taught the Gospel he preached by man. The Spirit of God taught it to him. He wrote, "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached o f me is not after man. For I neither received it o f man, neither was I taught it, but b y the revelation o f Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1:11,12). The work of an apostle is that of a foundation layer: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:10 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I HAVE LAID THE FOUNDATION, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. EPHESIANS 2:20 20 And are built upon THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. The first twelve apostles laid the foundation of the Church as the earliest pioneers and preachers of the Gospel. They also laid the foundation of the Church by receiving the Holy Spirit. An apostle's ministry seems to embrace all other ministry gifts. The distinguishing result is the ability to establish churches. The apostle has the supernatural equipment called "governments" listed in First Corinthians 12:28. (Weymouth translates it "powers of organization.") After churches are established, apostles can exercise authority over those churches they have established (1 Cor. 9:1,2). There are many who call themselves apostles who want to dominate and rule people. They say, "I'm an apostle. I have authority. You have to do what I say." In New Testament days, the apostles could exercise authority only over the churches they had established themselves. Paul, for example, never exercised any authority over the church at Jerusalem, or any of the churches other apostles had established.
Remember, these offices are in power and not in name. If the power is not there to establish churches, then those involved are not apostles. A missionary who is really called o f God and sent b the Holy Spirit is an apostle. In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul [Paul] for the work whereunto I have called them." Verse 4 continues, "So they, being SENT FORTH by the Holy Ghost, departed...." They were "sent ones." They left on their first missionary journey to the Gentiles. The New Testament never mentions missionaries, yet that is an important office. It is here in the office of apostle. A missionary will have the ability of all the ministry gifts: He will do the work of the evangelist. He will get people saved. He will do the work of the teacher. He will teach and establish people. He will do the work of the pastor. He will pastor and shepherd people for a while. In studying closely the life of the Apostle Paul, we note that he said he never built on a foundation someone else had laid. He endeavored to preach the Gospel where Christ was not named (Rom. 15:20), and he always stayed in a place from six months to three years. His real calling was not to be a pastor, but he stayed long enough to get his converts established in the truth before moving on. Some wonder if there are apostles today. No one, not even Paul, could be an apostle in the sense the original twelve were. There are only "twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:14). Their qualifications were outlined in Acts 1, when the twelve selected an apostle to take Judas' place. We see from verses 21 and 22 that to be one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, one had to have accompanied the apostles and Jesus during the entire time of His 3 1/2-year ministry (Paul was not with them). Also, the original twelve were "sent ones" to be eyewitnesses of the ministry, works, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. They stood in a place no other apostles or ministries can ever stand. There are, however, apostles today in the sense that Barnabas, Paul, and others were apostles. We have seen listed in Ephesians 4:11, "And he gave some, APOSTLES.. . . " If God has taken this or any other ministry out of this list, then the Bible should have told us that He gave them for just a little while. All of the ministry gifts were given for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the Body of Christ. This includes apostles. Thank God, the office of the apostle exists today! For how long did God give the ministry gifts? According to verse 13, all of them were given "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge o f the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure o f the stature of the fulness of Christ." In summary, the four marks we look for in an apostle today are: 1.Outstanding spiritual gifts. 2.Deep personal experience. 3.Power and ability to establish churches. 4.Ability to provide adequate spiritual leadership.
If you think God called you to be an apostle, don't bother about it. You won't start out there anyway. Paul didn't. Acts 13:1 says, "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain PROPHETS AND TEACHERS; as Barnabas, and Simeon... and Lucius ... and Manaen ... and Saul." Each of these men was either a prophet or a teacher, or a prophet and a teacher. Some may operate in more than one office—but a person doesn't operate in those offices as he wills. It is as God wills and as He anoints. Barnabas was a teacher. Saul (Paul) was a prophet and a teacher, for a prophet is one who has visions and revelations, and Paul received the entire Gospel that way. He would have been called a "seer" in the Old Testament, because he would see and know things supernaturally. As we have seen, in Acts 13:2 the Holy Spirit said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." They had not yet gotten into the work that God called them to do. They fasted and prayed again, and the other ministers laid hands on them and sent them out, and they became apostles or missionaries to the Gentiles. Barnabas was considered an apostle as much as Paul was: "Which when the APOSTLES, Barnabas and P a u l . . . . " (Acts 14:14). In the city of Lystra, during this first missionary voyage, Paul ministered healing to a man who had been crippled from birth (Acts 14:8), and the people of the city wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, saying, "The gods are come down to us in the likeness o f men" (v. 11). Paul and Barnabas had moved into another office, that of apostle, and a stronger anointing had come, because it takes a stronger anointing to stand in that office.
Don't get taken up with names and titles. If I didn't know what God called me to, I wouldn't bother a minute about it. If I sensed the call on the inside of me, I would just preach and teach and let God eventually set me in the office He has for me. Notice Barnabas and Paul were not set in the office of apostle to begin with, but God eventually did set them there. Also remember this: God rewards faithfulness. He doesn't reward offices. A prophet won't receive any more reward than a janitor who was faithful in his ministry of helps. Higher offices do not receive greater rewards; there is just a greater responsibility. (For an in-depth study of the fivefold ministries and the other ministry gifts, read my study guide, The Ministry Gifts.)
- Kenneth E Hagin ( Understanding The Anointing ) - JESUS SAVES TV
Osborn Ministries International birthed the National Missionary Assistance Program in 1953. In 1954, this program began sponsoring nationals to go to their own people and called them missionaries. Prior to that time the term “missionary” referred to foreigners who traveled to other nations to deliver the Christian faith. Nationals (citizens of individual nations) had never been recognized, supported, or respected as “missionaries” to their own unreached tribes and villages. T. L.’s ministry was the first to call the national, a missionary to his own people. In that day, many foreign nations, especially in Africa, were under colonialism, and only the foreigner could be called a missionary. So in essence, guerilla warfare led to the beginning of national missionaries. Once again, T.L. became a pioneer. This time he pioneered indigenous evangelismthat positioned and equipped native ministers to reach their own people. If they would go into a completely unreached area where there was no gospel witness and establish a church, his ministry would assist them. They would help them establish a church and support them for twelve to eighteen months. A bona fide program of accountability was used. Today the same forms, principles, and accountability guidelines are applied as they were in 1954. LaDonna ( TL Osborne’s daughter ) pointed out that some things about ministry should never change. Out of that one program, in cooperation with the Christian partners of Osborn Ministries International, over 30,000 national preachers have received financial assistance, allowing them to labor full time as missionaries to their own and neighboring tribes and villages that had been previously untouched by the gospel. In addition, more than 150,000 new, self-supporting churches have been established globally, with as many as 400 new churches being planted a year. T. L.’s effort to make the revival overseas into a truly native experience, instead of an American program, was an important contribution to the world pentecostal revival, and its success was one of his proudest achievements. Many of today’s national church leaders began in ministry as national preachers, encouraged and sponsored by T. L. and Daisy’s Ministry.
David Nunn, a renowned evangelist who experienced tremendous healings and miracles and had traveled widely overseas, shared in regard to T. L. Osborn’s pioneering of indigenous evangelism: He’s got a great concept. To me, he provides...from the mission standpoint, one of the greatest leaderships of any man to come up in the last hundred years. In challenging the old line churches to change [their] old policies that never have worked properly, [the kind of policy] that brings down the people into servitude and makes them houseboys, and to lift those men up to where they belong as children of God and proud of their national heritage with confidence in them that they’ve got ability and that they can carry out the work of evangelizing their own countries.
THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE GIFTS. The gifts of God are perfect. The Holy Spirit is perfect. But these gifts are not always perfect in manifestation, because they are manifested through an imperfect channel: men and women. The Spirit of God flows through us as water flows through a pipe. Sometimes as the Spirit of God flows through us something from our own personality gets mixed in with the divine flow. (After all, God uses personalities.) God doesn't put a premium on ignorance or education, but He has to use the vessel as it is. I have seen the anointing of the Spirit of God upon one who is educated, cultured, and refined, and I was greatly blessed. On the other hand, I have heard interpretations of messages which included such words as "hain't," "ain't," "you'uns," and "we'uns." Those giving the interpretations could not go beyond their capacity. They used the best vocabulary they had. It was the Spirit of God in manifestation, but it was not a perfect manifestation. A minister tells that in one of his services the interpretation of a message in tongues was: "My little children, don't be scared. But if you are scared, I don't blame you, because sometimes I get scared myself.".
Although this was not a manifestation of the Spirit of God, it does not mean that the dear one who gave it was not a Christian. It does not even mean that she wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit, She wanted God to use her, but she was just speaking out of her own mind. Many times we let such manifestations scare a lot of good people off instead of giving people the right teaching. We need the operation of the gifts in our congregations. We need everything God has provided, but we need to follow God's instructions for the proper use of these gifts so that "all things be done unto edifying" (1 Cor. 14:26). Some excuse their spiritual excesses by saying, "I couldn't help that. The Holy Spirit made me do it." They blame the Holy Spirit for their being out of order. But the Holy Spirit, through Paul, has given us instructions so we know how to be in order. Although we may be inspired to speak—we may have a message in tongues and interpretation, or even a word of prophecy—it is not always wise to jump up at any time. If our inspiration comes at an inopportune moment when it would not be edifying, then we should hold our peace. At the right time we can give what we have. Many times when attending fellowship meetings and campmeetings where I was not the speaker, I could have spoken with tongues but didn't. The leaders of the meetings were men who knew God, who were filled with the Spirit, and they could give the message themselves. There was no need of my butting in from out in the congregation. In a large gathering if someone speaks in tongues or prophesies from the congregation, few hear it. If it comes from the platform, however, everyone hears it, and it is edifying. The inspirational and the revelation gifts are a product of both God and man. It isn't all God and it isn't all man. This is where many have missed the blessing of being filled with the Spirit. They could have spoken in tongues many years ago. Some have said to me, "If I had known that I had a part to play in it, I could have talked in tongues 25 years ago. I had an urge to say something that wasn't English, but I thought if I spoke that out, it would just be me doing it. I have been waiting for the Holy Spirit to talk with tongues all these years." However, He doesn't really talk with tongues. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the Holy Spirit ever talked with tongues. Instead, we read that the Holy Spirit gives you utterance, and you do the talking. That is what happened on the Day of Pentecost: "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and [they] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). He gave them the utterance; they did the talking.
After hearing this preached, some people have asked me, “Why didn't someone tell me? I have been afraid to talk in tongues—afraid it would just be the flesh.” But when you talk in tongues, it will be you in the flesh. God said He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Everyone who ever talked with tongues was in the flesh, but he was inspired by the Spirit. The same thing is true with the inspirational and revelation gifts of God. They are a product of both man and God.
- Kenneth E Hagin ( The Gift Of Prophecy) - JESUS SAVES TV
TO HANDLE DIFFICULTIES. There is something that is very real to all of us who are a part of humanity, and that is the fact that there are troubles, there are sorrows, and there are difficulties that confront us all. Never think that because I am God’s child and anointed of Him that I have no troubles, no problems or no difficulties. The reason that I can help you with your problems and your troubles and your sorrows is because I have troubles too, just like you do. If I didn’t, I could never tell you what to do with yours, for we cannot give to anyone else more than we have experienced ourselves. I could not tell you what to do when you have a broken heart if my own heart had not been broken. I could not give you words of comfort if I had not gone through sorrow myself and been comforted by God, who is the God of all comfort. I can only give you what I know from personal experience about how to handle difficulties. First of all, remember something:A difficulty can break or make you. When you come face to face with a difficulty in that life of yours, it will either make you a bigger, a stronger, a better person, or that difficulty will break you. It depends entirely on you—what you do with it. It does not depend on someone else, the person with whom you live, or the one with whom you are associated. It is natural to try to put the blame on someone else, instead of facing the problem and handling it the way you should. It all depends on how you take hold of it that spells out the results. Sometimes I think that our difficulties can be compared to knives that either serve us or cut us. How we grasp them—by the blade or by the handle—determines whether we are cut or served. To take hold of a difficulty in the wrong way brings the same results as clutching a knife by the blade, and that’s what some folks always seem to do. Perhaps a difficulty has come into your life and the first thing you did was grab it by the blade. It cut you, and it wasn’t long before you found that the difficulty master you. You were hurt. You were defeated. But when you grasp your trouble by the handle, you can use it to your advantage, and it can become the greatest and most valuable tool that ever came into your life. Difficulty is an inescapable fact of life, and Almighty God put it there for a purpose. We must never forget that it is God’s purpose to make stronger men and women of us. God never created you or me to be weak or defeated. He made us to be strong people, and He could not make us strong without difficulty coming into our lives. So we should be thankful for difficulty. We should be proud that God deemed us able to handle the trouble. Many times I have looked up and said: “Dear Lord, if You didn’t think I could take it, You wouldn’t have permitted it. You have more confidence in me than I have in myself, so I will not focus my eyes on my own lack, but on Your faith in me. Thank You for the compliment.”
If God could anoint your eyes with Holy Spirit eye salve, causing you to see why He allowed that difficulty to come into your life, then instead of tears of self-pity you would shed tears of joy, and you would be the happiest person in the world.
- Kathryn Kuhlman ( Heart To Heart ) - JESUS SAVES TV
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Kathryn Kuhlman says ;
I'm so glad I'm stupid enough to believe the Word of God.
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IF I HAD A CHOICE, I WOULD STILL CHOOSE TO REMAIN BLIND... FOR WHEN I DIE, THE FIRST FACE I WILL EVER SEE WILL, BE THE FACE OF MY BLESSED SAVIOUR.
Quote from Fanny Crosby who went blind at a young age due to a Doctor's error. She was a prolific hymn writer who wrote thousands of hymns including Blessed Assurance.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
Perfect submission, perfect delight
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
Praising my Savior all the day long
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The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, comes in power and He uses the vessel yielded unto Him. I cannot use the Holy Spirit, He must use me. It is not so important that I touch anyone, but rather that the Holy Spirit touch the life, the heart, and fill the individual with himself.
- Kathryn Khulman
#kathrynkhulman #holyspirit
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CHANGE YOUR OIL
The Bible often likens the anointing of the Holy Spirit to oil. Both can be felt and experienced.
And some observations about the qualities and characteristics of oil can actually help you understand the workings of the Spirit.
For example, oil evaporates if it is not replenished regularly; it will eventually disappear. You may want to try it sometime. Pour some oil into a container and let it sit for a long time and you will find that some of it has evaporated. If enough time passes, you will find that the vessel that held the oil will be
empty, with little evidence that it once held oil.
The Spirit doesn't evaporate, but you may think He has if you neglect Him that way. You must constantly allow the oil of the Spirit to flow over your life,refreshing your spiritual life. You do this through prayer, through fellowship with God, and through reading the Word of God.
The anointing will remain on your life as you continue to walk and talk with (not
always to) the Lord. When you spend time in His presence, the rich oil of the Holy Spirit will flow over your life, refreshing and renewing your spirit.
Another interesting characteristic about oil is that it leaks if there is a hole in the vessel. The hole may be tiny, or even undetectable to the naked eye, but if there is any blemish or impurity in the composition of the vessel, the oil will find it and leak out.
Ephesians 4 cautions about any potential "holes" in your vessel when it says to give no "place" to the devil.
The word place derives from the Greek word for "avenue" or "window." So you are to give no avenue to the devil. Don't allow the holes of bitterness,unforgiveness, self-pity, and the like to creep into your life. For the precious oil of the Spirit will drain out.
These "holes" that attack your vessel of the Spirit are so subtle that in infancy they are difficult to detect.
Bitterness can creep in almost unnoticed. And how many times have you encountered someone who is losing a lot of oil because of the holes of self-pity?
All you hear from such people is "Poor, poor me."
As you seek and walk in the anointing, it is imperative that you guard against these holes and concentrate on keeping your oil fresh.
Another truth about oil is that only fresh oil has the proper density thickness to serve an engine or machine well. That thickness is called viscosity, and it's important, for it measures the ability of oil to withstand heat and pressure and to reduce friction or stress. The lower the viscosity, the less will the oil protect under certain levels of pressure.
As you know, it is important that you change the oil in your car regularly—so important that most auto manufacturers recommend changing the oil every three to five thousand miles to get the maximum benefit.
Otherwise, in addition to getting dirty, the oil gets thin and discolored and can harm rather than protect the engine.
So also will your anointing wear thin under the heat of spiritual warfare. That is why you must give daily attention to prayer and Bible study. It's the only way to build and maintain your spiritual thickness and strength.
- Pastor Benny Hinn ( The Anointing)
- JESUS SAVES TV
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THE ANOINTING OF THE APOSTLE.
The most significant statement in the Bible regarding the office is that it was filled by Christ Himself.
The Greek word apostolos, translated "apostle," means "one sent forth, a sent one." Jesus Christ is the greatest example of a sent one:
JOHN 20:21
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: AS MY FATHER HATH SENT ME, even so send I you.
A true apostle is always one with a commission—not one who merely goes, but one who is sent. A Bible example is found
in Acts 13, where Barnabas and Paul were sent forth to be apostles to the Gentiles.
The Bible also speaks of the signs of an apostle:
2 CORINTHIANS 12:12
12 Truly the signs of an APOSTLE were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
The "signs," then, are signs, wonders, and mighty deeds.
To stand in this office, one must have a personal experience with the Lord—something very deep and real, something beyond the ordinary—not just something secondhand or handed down by tradition.
Notice that Paul said, in defending his apostleship, "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? HAVE I NOT SEEN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD?... " (1 Cor. 9:1).
Paul did not see Jesus in the flesh as the twelve did, but he saw Jesus in a spiritual vision (Acts 9:3-6). He had a deep spiritual experience with the Lord. Even his conversion was beyond the ordinary.
In fact, Paul had such a deep spiritual experience with the Lord that he could say concerning what he knew about the Lord's Supper, "For I have received o f the Lord that which also I delivered unto you . . . . " (1 Cor. 11:23). Paul didn't learn what he knew about this subject from the other apostles. He got
it by revelation. Jesus gave it to him.
Paul wasn't taught the Gospel he preached by man. The Spirit of God taught it to him. He wrote, "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached o f me is not after
man. For I neither received it o f man, neither was I taught it, but b y the revelation o f Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1:11,12).
The work of an apostle is that of a foundation layer:
1 CORINTHIANS 3:10
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I HAVE LAID THE FOUNDATION, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he
buildeth thereupon.
EPHESIANS 2:20
20 And are built upon THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.
The first twelve apostles laid the foundation of the Church as the earliest pioneers and preachers of the Gospel. They also laid the foundation of the Church by receiving the Holy Spirit.
An apostle's ministry seems to embrace all other ministry gifts. The distinguishing result is the ability to establish churches.
The apostle has the supernatural equipment called "governments" listed in First Corinthians 12:28. (Weymouth translates it "powers of organization.")
After churches are established, apostles can exercise authority over those churches they have established (1 Cor. 9:1,2).
There are many who call themselves apostles who want to dominate and rule people. They say, "I'm an apostle. I have authority. You have to do what I say."
In New Testament days, the apostles could exercise authority only over the churches they had established themselves. Paul, for example, never exercised any authority over the church at Jerusalem, or any of the churches other apostles had established.
Remember, these offices are in power and not in name. If the power is not there to establish churches, then those involved are not apostles.
A missionary who is really called o f God and sent b the Holy Spirit is an apostle.
In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul [Paul] for the work whereunto I have called them."
Verse 4 continues, "So they, being SENT FORTH by the Holy Ghost, departed...." They were "sent ones." They left on their first missionary journey to the Gentiles.
The New Testament never mentions missionaries, yet that is an important office. It is here in the office of apostle.
A missionary will have the ability of all the ministry gifts:
He will do the work of the evangelist. He will get people saved. He will do the work of the teacher. He will teach and establish people. He will do the work of the pastor. He will
pastor and shepherd people for a while.
In studying closely the life of the Apostle Paul, we note that he said he never built on a foundation someone else had laid. He endeavored to preach the Gospel where Christ was not named (Rom. 15:20), and he always stayed in a place from six months to three years.
His real calling was not to be a pastor, but he stayed long enough to get his converts established in the truth before moving
on.
Some wonder if there are apostles today. No one, not even Paul, could be an apostle in the sense the original twelve were.
There are only "twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:14).
Their qualifications were outlined in Acts 1, when the twelve selected an apostle to take Judas' place. We see from verses 21 and 22 that to be one of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb, one had to have accompanied the apostles and Jesus during the entire time of His 3 1/2-year ministry (Paul was not
with them).
Also, the original twelve were "sent ones" to be eyewitnesses of the ministry, works, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. They stood in a place no other apostles or ministries can ever stand.
There are, however, apostles today in the sense that Barnabas, Paul, and others were apostles.
We have seen listed in Ephesians 4:11, "And he gave some, APOSTLES.. . . " If God has taken this or any other ministry out of this list, then the Bible should have told us that He gave
them for just a little while.
All of the ministry gifts were given for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the Body of
Christ. This includes apostles. Thank God, the office of the apostle exists today!
For how long did God give the ministry gifts? According to verse 13, all of them were given "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge o f the Son of God unto a
perfect man, unto the measure o f the stature of the fulness of Christ."
In summary, the four marks we look for in an apostle today are:
1.Outstanding spiritual gifts.
2.Deep personal experience.
3.Power and ability to establish churches.
4.Ability to provide adequate spiritual leadership.
If you think God called you to be an apostle, don't bother about it. You won't start out there anyway. Paul didn't. Acts 13:1 says, "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain
PROPHETS AND TEACHERS; as Barnabas, and Simeon... and Lucius ... and Manaen ... and Saul."
Each of these men was either a prophet or a teacher, or a prophet and a teacher. Some may operate in more than one office—but a person doesn't operate in those offices as he wills.
It is as God wills and as He anoints.
Barnabas was a teacher. Saul (Paul) was a prophet and a teacher, for a prophet is one who has visions and revelations,
and Paul received the entire Gospel that way. He would have been called a "seer" in the Old Testament, because he would see and know things supernaturally.
As we have seen, in Acts 13:2 the Holy Spirit said,
"Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." They had not yet gotten into the work that God called them to do. They fasted and prayed again, and the other
ministers laid hands on them and sent them out, and they became apostles or missionaries to the Gentiles.
Barnabas was considered an apostle as much as Paul was:
"Which when the APOSTLES, Barnabas and P a u l . . . . " (Acts 14:14).
In the city of Lystra, during this first missionary voyage, Paul ministered healing to a man who had been crippled from birth (Acts 14:8), and the people of the city wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, saying, "The gods are come down to us in the likeness o f men" (v. 11). Paul and Barnabas had moved into another office, that of apostle, and a stronger anointing had come, because it takes a stronger anointing to stand in that office.
Don't get taken up with names and titles. If I didn't know what God called me to, I wouldn't bother a minute about it. If I sensed the call on the inside of me, I would just preach and teach
and let God eventually set me in the office He has for me.
Notice Barnabas and Paul were not set in the office of apostle to begin with, but God eventually did set them there.
Also remember this: God rewards faithfulness. He doesn't reward offices. A prophet won't receive any more reward than a janitor who was faithful in his ministry of helps.
Higher offices do not receive greater rewards; there is just a greater responsibility.
(For an in-depth study of the fivefold ministries and the other ministry gifts, read my study guide, The Ministry Gifts.)
- Kenneth E Hagin ( Understanding The Anointing )
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Osborn Ministries International birthed the National Missionary Assistance Program in 1953. In 1954, this program began sponsoring nationals to go to their own people and called them missionaries. Prior to that time the term “missionary” referred to foreigners who traveled to other nations to deliver the Christian faith. Nationals (citizens of individual nations) had never been recognized, supported, or respected as “missionaries” to their own unreached tribes and villages. T. L.’s ministry was the first to call the national, a missionary to his own people. In that day, many foreign nations, especially in Africa, were under colonialism, and only the foreigner could be called a missionary. So in essence, guerilla warfare led to the beginning of national missionaries.
Once again, T.L. became a pioneer. This time he pioneered indigenous evangelismthat positioned and equipped native ministers to reach their own people. If they would go into a completely unreached area where there was no gospel witness and establish a church, his ministry would assist them. They would help them establish a church and support them for twelve to eighteen months. A bona fide program of accountability was used. Today the same forms, principles, and accountability guidelines are applied as they were in 1954.
LaDonna ( TL Osborne’s daughter ) pointed out that some things about ministry should never change.
Out of that one program, in cooperation with the Christian partners of Osborn Ministries International, over 30,000 national preachers have received financial assistance, allowing them to labor full time as missionaries to their own and neighboring tribes and villages that had been previously untouched by the gospel. In addition, more than 150,000 new, self-supporting churches have been established globally, with as many as 400 new churches being planted a year.
T. L.’s effort to make the revival overseas into a truly native experience, instead of an American program, was an important contribution to the world pentecostal revival, and its success was one of his proudest achievements. Many of today’s national church leaders began in ministry as national preachers, encouraged and sponsored by T. L. and Daisy’s Ministry.
David Nunn, a renowned evangelist who experienced tremendous healings and miracles and had traveled widely overseas, shared in regard to T. L. Osborn’s pioneering of indigenous evangelism:
He’s got a great concept. To me, he provides...from the mission standpoint, one of the greatest leaderships of any man to come up in the last hundred years. In challenging the old line churches to change [their] old policies that never have worked properly, [the kind of policy] that brings down the people into servitude and makes them houseboys, and to lift those men up to where they belong as children of God and proud of their national heritage with confidence in them that they’ve got ability and that they can carry out the work of evangelizing their own countries.
- 📕 TL OSBORN LEGACY OF FAITH.
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THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE GIFTS.
The gifts of God are perfect. The Holy Spirit is perfect. But these gifts are not always perfect in manifestation, because they are manifested through an imperfect channel: men and women.
The Spirit of God flows through us as water flows through a pipe. Sometimes as the Spirit of God flows through us something from our own personality gets mixed in with the divine flow. (After all, God uses personalities.)
God doesn't put a premium on ignorance or education, but He has to use the vessel as it is. I have seen the anointing of the Spirit of God upon one who is educated, cultured, and refined, and I was greatly blessed. On the other hand, I have heard interpretations of messages which included such words as
"hain't," "ain't," "you'uns," and "we'uns." Those giving the interpretations could not go beyond their capacity. They used the best vocabulary they had. It was the Spirit of God in manifestation, but it was not a perfect manifestation.
A minister tells that in one of his services the interpretation of a message in tongues was: "My little children, don't be scared.
But if you are scared, I don't blame you, because sometimes I get scared myself.".
Although this was not a manifestation of the Spirit of God, it does not mean that the dear one who gave it was not a Christian.
It does not even mean that she wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit, She wanted God to use her, but she was just speaking out of her own mind.
Many times we let such manifestations scare a lot of good people off instead of giving people the right teaching. We need the operation of the gifts in our congregations. We need
everything God has provided, but we need to follow God's instructions for the proper use of these gifts so that "all things be done unto edifying" (1 Cor. 14:26).
Some excuse their spiritual excesses by saying, "I couldn't help that. The Holy Spirit made me do it." They blame the Holy Spirit for their being out of order. But the Holy Spirit, through Paul, has given us instructions so we know how to be in order.
Although we may be inspired to speak—we may have a message in tongues and interpretation, or even a word of prophecy—it is not always wise to jump up at any time. If our inspiration comes at an inopportune moment when it would not be edifying, then we should hold our peace. At the right time we can give what we have.
Many times when attending fellowship meetings and campmeetings where I was not the speaker, I could have spoken with tongues but didn't. The leaders of the meetings were men who knew God, who were filled with the Spirit, and they could give the message themselves. There was no need of my butting
in from out in the congregation. In a large gathering if someone speaks in tongues or prophesies from the congregation, few hear
it. If it comes from the platform, however, everyone hears it, and it is edifying.
The inspirational and the revelation gifts are a product of both God and man. It isn't all God and it isn't all man. This is where many have missed the blessing of being filled with the
Spirit. They could have spoken in tongues many years ago.
Some have said to me, "If I had known that I had a part to play in it, I could have talked in tongues 25 years ago. I had an urge to say something that wasn't English, but I thought if I
spoke that out, it would just be me doing it. I have been waiting for the Holy Spirit to talk with tongues all these years."
However, He doesn't really talk with tongues. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the Holy Spirit ever talked with tongues. Instead, we read that the Holy Spirit gives you
utterance, and you do the talking. That is what happened on the Day of Pentecost: "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and [they] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). He gave them the utterance; they did the talking.
After hearing this preached, some people have asked me,
“Why didn't someone tell me? I have been afraid to talk in tongues—afraid it would just be the flesh.” But when you talk in tongues, it will be you in the flesh. God said He would pour out
His Spirit on all flesh. Everyone who ever talked with tongues was in the flesh, but he was inspired by the Spirit.
The same thing is true with the inspirational and revelation gifts of God. They are a product of both man and God.
- Kenneth E Hagin ( The Gift Of Prophecy)
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TO HANDLE DIFFICULTIES.
There is something that is very real to all of us who are a part of humanity, and that is the fact that there are troubles, there are sorrows, and there are difficulties that confront us all. Never think that because I am God’s child and anointed of Him that I have no troubles, no problems or no difficulties. The reason that I can help you with your problems and your troubles and your sorrows is because I have troubles too, just like you do. If I didn’t, I could never tell you what to do with yours, for we cannot give to anyone else more than we have experienced ourselves. I could not tell you what to do when you have a broken heart if my own heart had not been broken. I could not give you words of comfort if I had not gone through sorrow myself and been comforted by God, who is the God of all comfort. I can only give you what I know from personal experience about how to handle difficulties.
First of all, remember something:A difficulty can break or make you. When you come face to face with a difficulty in that life of yours, it will either make you a bigger, a stronger, a better person, or that difficulty will break you. It depends entirely on you—what you do with it. It does not depend on someone else, the person with whom you live, or the one with whom you are associated. It is natural to try to put the blame on someone else, instead of facing the problem and handling it the way you should. It all depends on how you take hold of it that spells out the results.
Sometimes I think that our difficulties can be compared
to knives that either serve us or cut us. How we grasp them—by the blade or by the handle—determines whether we are cut or served. To take hold of a difficulty in the wrong way brings the same results as clutching a knife by the blade, and that’s what some folks always seem to do. Perhaps a difficulty has come into your life and the first thing you did was grab it by the blade. It cut you, and it wasn’t long before you found that the difficulty master you. You were hurt. You were defeated. But when you grasp your trouble by the handle, you can use it to your advantage, and it can become the greatest and most valuable tool that ever came into your life.
Difficulty is an inescapable fact of life, and Almighty God put it there for a purpose. We must never forget that it is God’s purpose to make stronger men and women of us. God never created you or me to be weak or defeated. He made us to be strong people, and He could not make us strong without difficulty coming into our lives. So we should be thankful for difficulty. We should be proud that God deemed us able to handle the trouble. Many times I have looked up and said: “Dear Lord, if You didn’t think I could take it, You wouldn’t have permitted it. You have more confidence in me than I have in myself, so I will not focus my eyes on my own lack, but on Your faith in me. Thank You for the compliment.”
If God could anoint your eyes with Holy Spirit eye salve, causing you to see why He allowed that difficulty to come into your life, then instead of tears of self-pity you would shed tears of joy, and you would be the happiest person in the world.
- Kathryn Kuhlman ( Heart To Heart )
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