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I pastor a church of about 35 people. I've been a member for 30 years and became pastor 8 months ago. Immediately the Lord impressed on me to seek the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I received the Holy Ghost in 1981 and have rarely seen anyone lead people to receive even though we are a pentecostal church. I've been listening to sermons by the late Pastor Billy Cole and have led the church accordingly. Thus far 3 people have received. I have become almost desperate over this subject wanting everyone to receive to the point some people (even tithers) have left but the Lord has not let up so were still pursuing Him. Would very much appreciate any advice anyone can give.
Thank you!
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Perhaps this will help you...the deeper you can go, the deeper you can lead your flock.
Psalm 42 >>
To the Overseer. -- An Instruction. By sons of Korah.
1.As a hart doth pant for streams of water, So my soul panteth toward Thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsted for God, for the living God, When do I enter and see the face of God?
3 My tear hath been to me bread day and night, In their saying unto me all the day, 'Where is thy God?'
4 These I remember, and pour out my soul in me, For I pass over into the booth, I go softly with them unto the house of God, With the voice of singing and confession, The multitude keeping feast!
5 What! bowest thou thyself, O my soul? Yea, art thou troubled within me? Wait for God, for still I confess Him: The salvation of my countenance -- My God!
6 In me doth my soul bow itself, Therefore I remember Thee from the land of Jordan, And of the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.
7 Deep unto deep is calling At the noise of Thy water-spouts, All Thy breakers and Thy billows passed over me.
8 By day Jehovah commandeth His kindness, And by night a song is with me, A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my rock, 'Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning in the oppression of an enemy?
10 With a sword in my bones Have mine adversaries reproached me, In their saying unto me all the day, 'Where is thy God?'
11 What! bowest thou thyself, O my soul? And what! art thou troubled within me? Wait for God, for still I confess Him, The salvation of my countenance, and my God!
The Psalmist is using an analogy of the sound of roaring waters to describe his 'deep' thirst for God. In verse 3 his 'tear' roars a torment to him like Job's friends, "where is your God?" Then he speaks back to his soul which is the source of his tears giving voice unto his fears...and uses the WORD of his Testimony to quell the noise of the waterspouts of despair, and reaches down into the deep of his soul, where his foundation in God's word is a "fountain and wellspring" that he can turn to for faith in his dark hour.
Definition "Rapture of the Deep": Narcosis while diving (also known as nitrogen narcosis, inert gas narcosis, raptures of the deep, Martini effect), is a reversible alteration in consciousness that occurs while scuba diving at depth. The Greek word ναρκωσις (narcosis) is derived from narke, "temporary decline or loss of senses and movement, numbness", a term used by Homer and Hippocrates.[2] Narcosis produces a state similar to alcohol intoxication or nitrous oxide inhalation, and can occur during shallow dives, but usually does not become noticeable until greater depths, beyond 30 meters (100 ft).
There are various levels of knowledge in spiritual matters. There are the deep things of God (
1 Corinthians 2:10). There are the deep things of Satan, the depths of Satan (
Revelation 2:24).But we have a refuge in the "Secret Place of The Most High"...it is a place we find in the Deep.
In every field of endeavor, there are the deep things that can be studied and learned. However, unlike the study of physical things, the deep things of God are not perceived strictly through the intellect. They are transcendent to human thought and understanding, we must like David say "wait..be still, God is still my help.
It is folly to look to ourselves and our intellect to deal with our spiritual warfare. In fact, God purposely allows the foolish to confound the wise (
1 Corinthians 1:27). The wise will be fooled that their intellectual understanding constitutes spiritual discernment.
Spiritual things are not discerned by the natural person who considers things of the Spirit of God as foolishness (
1 Corinthians 2:14). To many today, it is foolishness to spend hours every day in the word and prayer, their intellect tells them they will not accomplish "their aim."
We, as humans, are much like computers. Our brain is the hardware. The spirit is the software. The brain is 'flesh' and is programmed to insure flesh survival.
The mind that is set on the flesh,denies the mastery of the spirit. When the sprit is followed as God leads, the order is of the brain working with the spirit. Remove the hardware or the software and there is unconsciousness and the inability to function just as a computer without hardware or without software is unable to function. So where & how do we hear God?
We must go "Deep" to hear his 'call' for Deep calleth unto Deep. He speaks
to our spirit-man, the new creature, the New Man. Scripture announces that "the spirit returns to God." He is our source of life as sure as an electrical device must plug in to a power source and when the device breaks down, the power returns to it's source, likewise ours also.
There is a spirit in man (
Job 32:8). This spirit in man is from God. It causes us to have the ability (power/energy) to eat, drink, take care of our body, and interact with others. As well as this spirit works, there is a need for an additional spirit to realize the spiritual dimension.
The fallen unregenerate man follows after the flesh and has no communion to God as his spirit is effectively dead except that the Spirit of God as the creator and supplier still draws and calls for it to respond.
The Holy Ghost co-exists with the spirit in a born again man, as it did in (
Job 32:8), which is God overshadowing his own. The Holy Spirit can work with us or to be in us (
John 14:17). The Holy Ghost works with us to lead us to faith and repentance unto regeneration. In us after we are born again.
The Holy Spirit is not a separate person. The Holy Ghost is the presence (
Psalms 51:11,
Psalms 139:7) and power (
Romans 15:19,
Micah 3:8) of God, which establishes a sound mind (
2 Timothy 1:7). The Holy Spirit seals us for the day of redemption (
Ephesians 4:30). Although the Holy Spirit is a motivating (moving) force (
2 Peter 1:21), it does not push. It leads (
Romans 8:14). "And ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost has come upon you."
The spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, “…searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” The King James word “searches” is from the Greek word “ereunao”, meaning to search, examine, inquire. One benefit of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate ability (when one is yielded to the spirit) to examine all the deep things of God. The Holy Spirit is that link for that ability.
When the Spirit makes intercession with the saints (Christians), it is the power line providing beneficial linking between Christians and God. It provides intercession (linking) for us with groaning that cannot be uttered (processes that cannot be expressed in words) (
Romans 8:26). This is done according to the will of the Eternal (verse 27), not according to our will. We can pray for anything we want, but the benefit that is given to us is provided only according to the will of God.
But how will the Holy Spirit “tell” you things to come? The Holy Spirit will “…teach…” (
John 14:26). The Greek word is “didasko”, meaning to instill doctrine; in other words make things visible.
How does the Holy Spirit speak? Through people. This happened on the day of Pentecost (
Acts 2:4). The King James “…Ghost…” is the Greek word “pneuma” meaning “Spirit”. The Holy Spirit also speaks through a servant of God, when the servant is delivering a message (
Acts 4:31,
Acts 4:8).
As our soul thirsts for God, as the hart panteth for the water brooks, it is because our spirit has dried up from it's source through the entanglements of this world, and our warring after the flesh, in our own strength.
Rapture of the Deep
When a "Deep Ocean Scuba Diver" plunges into the water, at first through the foam and waves it is difficult to get depth and to go deep. He must struggle with his own 'natural buoyancy (A type of fleshly carnality.)
As the diver swims deeper, he understands that the less of his own breath in his lungs will decrease his buoyancy, and make it easier to go deep. The Water above him and 'on him' now seems to be a 'help'.
It is still light from the world above, but the diver has been told by his teachers that soon it will get darker as the world's light fades. Deeper and deeper the diver swims. The silence begins to bring a peace and confidence to the diver and his breathing is now almost unnoticeable. Deeper and darker, until suddenly, the Deep seems to come alive in it's own wonderful florescent explosion of color and light! The beauty is beyond words. The diver becomes in awe of the Glorious beauty and light.
In a 'raptured state" the diver no longer cares or remembers the world above...and all sense of time is lost. In his euphoria he does not even know that his air tanks have run out of air and he dies before he knows it.
Rapture of the Deep! So it is with us..we need to say to our soul that thirsts for the living God...wait for God.
When we go into prayer, deep prayer, breaking through in repentance for living by our own strength, as we fight the roaring waves that keep us distracted by the deception that we have too much to do to abandon time and surrender to the Deep we can find God. And we come into his presence and like the diver... his light and glory engulfing us we find that "perfect peace" that casts out fear...and when fear is gone, we are in the moment with him. No past regrets, no anxiety for the morrow, and time ceases to be. Lost in rivers of living water (speaking in tongues) as the Spirit intercedes and takes the helm, we become lost in his glory.
We can be filled with the Holy Ghost, his breath increases as ours decreases and we go deeper and deeper until we arrive, in "The Secret Place of The Most High." And the Great Physician has us under the Spirit's surgical power, The Sword of the Spirit! And heals us, and puts a right spirit and a clean heart into us because death to self allowed us to be still... so the Master Potter could remake the clay and remove all the impurities and smooth out the flaws and spots of sin, so we will know there is the place of refuge,and what the pattern of our testimony should be, and our vision of Glory is established. This is the Vision or we perish without it. Deep calleth unto Deep.
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