Now I know that a little while back, I wrote a couple on the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Lets take a glimpse into the business world and you will discover that every business has it, an administrator, Hospitals. Hotels, government, etc..

I just use one in particular, the Hospital. The administrator in a Hospital sees that things are done in order, staff is kept updated on events, patients are informed through the administrative work. While yet it is channeled through other individuals. So the Holy Spirit is the chief administrative force in the church to see that things are carried out as planned.

Now I’m going to make a statement here, that maybe some would not agree with. I periodically visit other churches that is evangelical, and I listen to the voices I hear from various congregations and I will go far enough to say that if they allowed the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do we would not see so many empty pews as we see on any given Sunday. Of course I refer to this island of Newfoundland and I guess it is somewhat world wide. God has a plan and has had a plan from the beginning and He sent the Holy Spirit to see that plan was carried out. For the Bible says, It is not in a man to order his steps.

(Isaiah 55 8:9) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. You may ask why I would quote this scripture. Simply because man can do his own thing, organize, program and everything else, but Jesus said I will build my Church. While I know that God has called men and women to work for Him, but we must be led by the Holy Spirit to accomplish that which God hath so ordained.

Who hath been His counselor, or His adviser; God asked Job. Where was he when He laid the foundation. Lets allow the Holy Spirit to administer to us that which God hath planned and everything else will fall in place. Even in the old testament, unless they received instructions, they didn’t go to battle. When they did go to battle on their own they lost the battle.

I don’t believe we should see churches closing. The Lord showed me recently, of a building where seats had to be brought in to accommodate the people. I will stop there but I know God still wants to move among His people so lets allow the Chief Administrator to carry out orders and to put in place whom God so desires.

There are a lot of areas where the Holy Spirit wants to minister and manifest His presence. I try to put things in the most simple way so that the wayfaring man should understand. The scriptures are not complicated

I don’t profess to be a Bible scholar, but I profess to be a Bible believer because of that I am a bible believer. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth, therefore any believer in Christ should not be confused with what the Bible says.

For example, if the Bible says ye must be born again as in John 3:7 then the Bible says ye must be born again. I have a problem when I see the word of God being analyzed and almost explained away; again in Saint Marks gospel, which I referred to earlier in a previous sermonette, if there are signs that follow the believer, then there are signs that follow the believer; therefore if the signs don’t follow, ask your own self the question, am I really a believer. Having said all this, I’d better get to what I intended to say from the start.

I know I am only touching on things, I have not gone into any great depth but there is so much, so I am just laying a basic foundation for any one person to accept. My thoughts have somewhat been focused on Genesis Chapter 8. We know of course that is where Noah was about to come out of the Ark. If you note, he first sent out a raven (Genesis 8:7). The Bible says the raven went forth to and fro because I’m sure the raven being the kind of a bird he is, could find lots of dead carcasses to feed on because he is a scavenger isn’t he ? But in chapter 8 verse 8 Noah sent out the dove, the Bible says the dove came back, now we know the dove speaks of peace, gentleness, a bird easily to be driven away , yet easily entreated.

Which symbolizes the Holy Spirit; the dove came back because it could not find no place to rest it’s feet. Noah reached out and pulled her in unto him, the Holy Spirit is looking for a place to rest, a place in peoples hearts. Any place the Holy Spirit is at work, it is not very hard to discover.

Noah sent her out again, she returned in the evening with an olive leaf, the Bible says it was plucked off. How the Holy Spirit wants to pluck men and women from the things of this world and give the new life and bring them to Jesus of which the Ark was symbolic, a place of refuge, a place of safety. I know places today the Holy Spirit is not welcome, although they sing it but sorry to say, the Holy Spirit will not stay where there is any type of corruption, unbelief.

Read Galatians 5:19-21. The Holy Spirit will not stay among these things. We need to invite the Holy Spirit in and clean up, and be prepared to let Him stay and rest upon our lives. He brings peace, love, joy, etc.. if we allow Him to stay.

I know this is only a touch on the fringes of reality, the Holy Spirit will bring new life if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. I’m convinced today that in some places the Holy Spirit is looking for a place to rest.

Confusion comes when you make your own conclusions and proclaim what your views or opinion is; again I will say it’s not our opinion; take the word as it is, allow the Holy Spirit, the teacher, guide, who will lead you into all truth. The Holy Spirit will never take you outside the word, it will stay within the confines of the word.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32) I’m going to make a statement here; when people say in most cases, that is your opinion or interpretation, they simply don’t want to hear or acknowledge the truth. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:10. It tells us that because they would not accept the truth they would follow after lies and fall into error. (2 Timothy 2:15) To rightly dividing the word of truth; make no mistake, there is truth and there is error. People are not free because they really don’t know the truth.

Lets get back to the church. I find when I start to write about the church, and the Holy Spirit I really don’t know where to stop. I am going to try and clear up the church question, make no mistake, there is a true church, but it’s not a wooden structure as such that stands alone in some community with some sort of name tag, that can be so far from the truth. (Romans 16:5) Paul said to greet the church that is in their house. Made reference to the church as a group of born again believers not a denomination. Now I must agree that within some denominational setting we will find the church.

Don’t forget, Jesus is coming for a church, without spot or wrinkle, a people that’s not holding the world in one hand and a church pew in the other. Where I live we have 6 church buildings, now get real, everyone figures they are right. If that is so, then there is nobody wrong and everybody is going to Heaven; and it looks like nobody is bound for hell; then there are people who don’t believe in hell, will let me tell you, Jesus spoke just as much about hell as he did Heaven. Make no mistake, there is a real hell, in fact, I was allowed to get a little glimpse of it by the Spirit of God, so don’t get fooled, it’s there for those who reject Christ and the Blood that was shed for them to have their sins blotted out, and their names written down in the Lambs Book of Life.

The Bible says Christ is coming back for His Church, some are asleep, or dead while there are others who are alive. (1 Thessalonians 4:15 – 4:17) Tell me there is a separate people that will be identified somewhere down the road. The Bible says, that the dead saints or the church will rise at His appearing, but the rest of the dead will not rise until after a thousand years. Don’t be misguided; in closing this and I am quite aware there may be thousands reading this; it’s time for people to wake up. If you are a Pastor or Minister of some denomination and you consider yourself a member of the body of Christ, and you can’t accept another member or don’t recognize them, there is a big “?”

The Bible says, we are members one of another, come on don’t think that you can separate the Body of Christ and get away with it, wake up.

Now the question arises what, who, where is the Church? Be sure of this one thing, the Church that Jesus talked about, Paul talked about, was not an organized denomination as we see and hear proclaimed. Jesus said to Peter, upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. We have seen denominations crumble, thus a proof that is not the Church Jesus talked about.

The Church is a living organism indwelt by the Holy Spirit, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, sanctified, separated from the world but live in the world but does not contaminate his or her self with the things of the world, that includes Hollywood. James 1:27 Read Psalms 24

If you think that you are a part of the Church, of the first born, if you can smoke, drink, play in a nightclub Saturday night and then partake in organized church activities on Sunday you better think again. No man can serve two masters, you cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)

The Church has one foundation, is Jesus Christ the Lord, he is a new creation by water and the word, the true Church does not hide behind some name tag; you cannot separate the body of Christ or the Church. The true body of Christ or the Church will not want to be separated from other believers. Paul spoke about the Husband and wife in relation to the Church (Ephesians 5:23-33) The body of Christ is suffering today for more reasons than one.

(1 Corinthians 12:26) If one member suffers we all suffer. The Church is suffering today spirituality and one of the main reasons, and I say this without fear of contradictions; that ministries that God hath placed within the body cannot function in the local organizations, therefore the whole body is suffering. I have seen it through the years, and am talking from experience not from what I heard someone say or read in a book.

Read 1 Corinthians 11:30. My friend believe this if you like, if you don’t recognize a member of the body of Christ, you could be in trouble. I am well aware there will be thousands read this, some may say, that’s you opinion, no my friend, I hate to use natural things to compare but I will in this; I have been doing electrical work, it could be fatal if I should use my opinion. I have to know what I’m at, it could mean someone’s life when it comes to the Gospel. It’s not a matter of opinion. Jesus said, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set your free. It’s only the truth of Gods’ word will set people free. The commission to the Church empowered by the Holy Ghost, to bind to loose to set men and woman free, to heal, to cast out devils.

I would like end with Joel chapter 2 verse 1. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my Holy Mountain.

Time to sound the alarm, wake up behold the bridegroom cometh.

Jesus had told them as recorded in the book of Acts: 1-8, Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; power to witness to all the world of the wonderful grace of God.

Mark Chapter 16 known as the great commission. Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel. Verse 17, these signs shall follow them that believe, In my name they shall cast out devils and shall speak with new tongues. Verse 18, They shall take up serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. That is the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believer.

I’d like to inject here that this working of the Holy Spirit does not come in the collection plate.

1 Peter 1:18
We are not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver or gold, but with precious blood of Jesus. When Peter and John went up to the temple to pray, Acts Chapter 3; the man at the gate ask for alms. Peter fastening his eyes upon him said, silver and gold have we none but in the name of Jesus rise up and walk.

The Holy Spirit was given to equip the church, the church with Power and authority to finish the work that Jesus came for to do, that is to destroy the works of the devil. Let the Power of the Holy Spirit be manifested and you will soon find out how many devils are at work and where they are at, just recently I found that out. With all due respect to the medical department, yet they have a medical name put on a lot of them; Jesus called them by name.

Someone might say, you are gone a little off track in this area, Oh no! The church has been given the authority; Jesus said I will give you power over the power of the enemy which is the devil and all his imps. Jesus said, the thief commeth for to kill and destroy, but I am come that ye might have life, and more abundantly.

My friends, the Apostles never had time to attend to the affairs of the community, they had to give themselves over to prayer and fasting and to the word, that they might excel in that which God had called them to do. Paul said the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, or the Holy Spirit to pulling down of strongholds. You can’t pull down the strongholds of satan in the flesh or with natural means.

Jesus said, Matthew 12:29, You don’t enter in a strong mans house to spoil his goods except you first bind the strong man; church it’s time to rise up in the Power and authority given us by the Holy Spirit. You can’t win a community that’s bound by the unseen forces by indulging in community activities. You have to allow the Holy Spirit’s Power to operate in the manner it was designed by God in the beginning.

Paul said, it’s according to the Power that worketh in us.

Some of these things can only come about by prayer and fasting and allow the same Holy Ghost that worked in the Apostles to so the same now.

To finish I’m not saying there hasn’t been anything since the apostles, I’m saying this, that this generation needs to see the Power of God at work.

Therefore I know and am quite aware that all of the gifts of the spirit was executed in the old testament. When the need arose, the great God of the universe allowed things to happen through the prophets, naming some of them; Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, Nathan (King Solomon) and many more.

Now when Jesus came, He was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Holy Ghost, operated in the Holy Ghost because He said in Luke 4:18, the spirit of the Lord is upon me, etc. John 20:22 Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “receive ye the Holy Ghost” Acts 2:1, and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, the day had finally arrived for the Holy Spirit to descend from Heaven.

Now the purpose. John 16:8, to reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Then Jesus said, “ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you. Power to overcome sin, the flesh and the Devil. Power to heal the sick, to cast out demons. The Holy Spirit was also given to comfort and as a guide to lead us into all truth. (John 16:13)

The Holy Spirit cannot lead you astray. The Holy Spirit was not given to make people feel good, or just to have a one time experience. The Holy Spirit was given to the believer or the Church to equip them to carry out the work that Jesus had left for them to do when He ascended into Heaven. I repeat, the Holy Spirit wasn’t given to make people feel good in an assembly setting with a lost and dying world out there going to a lost eternity without God.

I guess I could write a book but the fact is, there are so many books out there, the book shelves are full of them, yet very few do minister to the needs that is in the very soul of man. What we really need is the Holy Spirit working in the body of Christ to deliver and set men and woman free from the bondage that Satan has got them in.

The work and purpose of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, to bring men and woman to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Don’t mistake to have the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and to speak in another language as the spirit gives utterance is wonderful and sure there is that blessedness, that full assurance, and joy unspeakable and full of glory and tongue cannot express. But we should not be satisfied with a one time experience or a few minutes around an alter on a Sunday night and say “we had a good service”. If it don’t go beyond that then we have missed it. I mean missed the real purpose why God sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Some say it ended there, well I feel sorry for you because it was only three weeks ago, a lady received the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. The power of God filled all the house that is all that was in it.

The same purpose that the Holy Spirit came for on the day of Pentecost hasn’t changed. He hasn’t went back. He is still here on the Earth, dwelling in the temples of clay, and will not leave until the Church is caught away.

Many times the Holy Spirit is grieved because it is not allowed and not recognized and can’t do the work that He was intended to do in the lives of the Church body.

When the gospel is preached, I mean the Gospel, bedtime stories only put people to sleep. The Gospel causes people to come alive! Jesus said, my words they are spirit and they are life. Chapter 4 of Acts tells us that it had such an effect on the listeners that it caused them to turn against the apostles. The result was they laid hands on them and put them in prison. (Acts 4:3)

In Acts Chapter 16, Paul and Silas being put in prison for preaching the gospel, sang praises to God, the result was, the prison doors opened and the jail keeper God saved.

Where ever the apostles went, in most cases, they had revival or they had both revival and riot.

The effect of the gospel preached in Ephesus (Acts 19:19) is they burned all the books of magic which now some are studying instead of the gospel what they burned in Ephesus using of it’s kind to try and bring people in church.

Someone who may read this may say, do this fellow know what he is talking about? Let me say this, any preacher that tries or attempts to get this gospel to work by any other way then the pattern that God set forth, you are wasting your time! If this gospel that I speak about don’t work for anybody, a big question ?

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.

If Jesus is the same, His word doesn’t change, His power doesn’t change, then what has happened? This Gospel works, it has or should have some effect in one way or another, thus ending in results when it is preached, in it’s power and simplicity. Not from a theological view point.

Let me finish this part. God is not in the rehabilitation business, He’s not in the psychiatric business, He is not in the psychology business. The Gospel transforms and renews.

If any man be in Christ, He is a new creature, old things are passed away, all things have become new