WELCOME HOLY SPIRIT
“I haven’t heard preaching like yours since I was a little girl. Thank you for your ministry.”
Brenda, age 72, Crow Agency, Montana.
All the credit for statements like that go to the Holy Spirit. I could not do any of this ministry and have it operate with such effect without the Holy Spirit. King David said in Psalms 51:11, “Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”. The word that is inferred here in some Bible interpretations is “Christ”, which is from Christos in the Greek. Jesus is His name, Christ is His identity. Christos in the Greek means to be anointed, meaning that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) was anointed of the Holy Spirit. The word for Christ in Hebrew is Messiah. Both Old and New Testaments use the word Messiah. Here are two good examples.
Old Testament in Daniel 9:25-26,
“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah…” Interpreting Ma-shee-ack in Hebrew to Messiah in English
New Testament in Matthew 1:1,
“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Interpreting Christos in the Greek to Messiah in English.
Both Messiah and Christ refer to the Anointed Jesus, the Son of God. He is also called the Anointed One. Jesus was anointed when the Holy Spirit came upon Him in Luke 3:21-22,
“Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’”
Jesus received two baptisms that day. First, He was water baptized, the Jewish ritual called a ‘mikvah’, which signified a cleansing from the stain of the sin of the world. Second, He received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The moment that happened, He literally changed into another Man. We see that He learned how the Holy Spirit would work by the following verses in Luke 4:1-2,
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.”
Notice that He spent forty days learning how the Holy Spirit was manifesting in Him, and how the Holy Spirit was leading Him! This was a brand new anointing upon Jesus at age thirty! His ministry started when He was anointed in the Holy Spirit, not before! He now was fulfilling every prophecy concerning Him from the Old Testament.
The disciple Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, spoke in John 1:39, “He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ).” Remember, the disciples of Jesus were all Jewish, speaking Hebrew and not Greek. Which is why the translators even had to use both the Hebrew word Messiah, and the Greek word Christos. Again, both words mean the same thing.
So, how do we define these words correctly? To be anointed is first an earthly concept; to anoint with oil, to anoint or consecrate. Anointing oil is frequently mixed with spices and aromatic herbs that created a fragrant odor when applied. It was used by the priests and doctors to put on wounds for healing purposes.
The second usage of this term anointed means to be commissioned for an office, anointed as king, an empowerment of authority that carries with it a spiritual implication. Items were consecrated for usage in the temple by the priests anointing them. I have consecrated cars, homes and other things, by placing a blessing upon it as I anoint that car, home or business, most of the time, applying olive oil.
Thirdly, to be anointed with the Holy Spirit means to have the power of God on and inside of a person or thing. King Saul was anointed king by the prophet Samuel in I Samuel 9:16 and 10:1. The same was done to king David as shown here in 1 Samuel 16:13, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of Yahweh (The LORD) came mightily upon David from that day forward.”
Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah as recorded in Luke 4:18-19,
“THE SPIRIT OF YAHWEH (THE LORD) IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF YAHWEH (THE LORD).”
I could not run this ministry for God, if I did not have the Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me. It is because of the Holy Spirit that we have been led in this ministry these 27 years. It is comforting and amazing the things we are able to do; but it is only because of the leading and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. He gets all the credit and honor.
The same anointing is supposed to be upon you as well. Jesus is quoted here in Acts 1:4-5,
“…He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Jesus Himself makes the two baptism distinction! The first baptism is of water, a symbol of purification, and the second is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in Luke 11:11-13,
“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 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?”
You can ask the Holy Spirit to come into your heart and mind right now. Jesus said so.
Peter verifies that fact in Acts 2:38,
“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
Ask the Holy Spirit to come upon you right now! Pray this prayer with me.
“Father in heaven, in Jesus’ name, Your Son Jesus declared that I could ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and that He, the Spirit, would come upon me as a gift. Father, I ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit right now, in Jesus’ name, amen!”
I am praying for you daily! Shalom!
Pastor David Gonzalez
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