INTRODUCTION
PASSION
for the
HOLY SPIRIT
Towards Being Empowered by the Holy Spirit
Written By
H.O. ACHILONU
© H. O. ACHILONU, 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - for example, electronic, photocopy, recording – without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in magazines, articles, reviews, etc.
All scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible, except otherwise stated.
First published 2015
ISBN 53942-0-7
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, my high praise, adoration and adulation go to the Almighty God, the fountain of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. I greatly appreciate Jesus Christ, the power and wisdom of God. I also owe a depth of gratitude to the Holy Spirit for inspiring this work at every step from the commencement to the conclusion.
Secondly, I remain grateful to God for giving me a worthy companion and partner, a wife that passionately and tenderly takes total care of me. I cherish our love, fidelity and understanding. Equally, I value the cooperation of my children. You are priceless jewels.
Also, a friend in need is a friend indeed. Ugosly Nwachukwu, Mrs Suzan and Sunday Chukwudi are vessels unto honour in the hand of God for God's work
DEDICATION
DEDICATION
I humbly dedicate this book to my beloved parents; their inspiration had made me what I am today. My Dad was an evangelist. I have not forgot his prophecy in one of his ministrations. That fateful Sunday, he told the congregation to pray hard that something will happen to the church that week. Unfortunately, he died on Wednesday the same week while hosting the church committee meeting in our compound; sleep well in the Lord.
To my dear wife who keeps encouraging me in the work of the vineyard; the Lord will keep strengthening you in Jesus' name. Amen.
FORWORD
As I was reading through the pages of the book, in chapter 4 - Signs and Wonders in Church History page 136, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit took over me and I thanked God for the book.
This book is a must for every true believer.
This book is vomited from the bowels of the Holy Spirit, to swallow and vomit every thirsty and desiring Christian with Pentecostal fire for ministerial fulfilment.
Excellent research, methodological and systematic work of the Rev. H. O. Achilonu who was consumed and impregnated by the Holy Spirit to give birth to this holy write up of the Holy Spirit.
"This book is a reviving pill to a SEEKING SOUL.
Rev. Dr. Nicholas Chukwudi Anameje
G/O, Rhema Pentecostal Mission and President,
Rhema Authority School of Mystery"
CONTENT
| Chapter One |
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| THE HOLY SPIRIT |
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| Chapter Two |
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| THE CHARACTERS OF |
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| THE HOLY SPIRIT |
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| Chapter Three |
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| PROPHECY OF THE MINISTRY |
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| OF THE HOLY SPIRIT |
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| Contents |
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| Chapter Four |
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| SIGNS AND WONDERS IN |
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| CHURCH HISTORY |
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| Chapter Five |
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| SIMPLE STEPS TO BE FILLED |
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| WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT |
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| Chapter Six |
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| INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES FROM |
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| GOD’S GENERALS |
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| Chapter Seven |
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| ATTRACTIONS AND GAINS OF |
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| THE HOLY SPIRIT |
|
PREFACE
Christianity has the tripod of faith, hope and charity. But the only cornerstone and bedrock of Christianity remains the Holy Spirit. What singled those called men of God in the scriptures out is the Holy Spirit. When a soul craves for and receives the numerous two-legged ingredients of the Holy Spirit, such will bear fruit and enter the Kingdom of God. These two-legged ingredients are the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The fruit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Gal 5:22-23) will make a man a good person in the sight of God and deliver automatic passport to the Kingdom of God unto such. On its part, the manifestations - word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor 12:8-10) will assist both the leaders and the led to fulfil purpose on earth by reinvigorating their faith in God. The implication is that without the Holy Spirit, it is save to conclude that you do not exist on earth as far as God is concerned.
The above underscores the importance of the Holy Spirit. The treatise and masterpiece with the title,
Passion for the Holy Spirit: Towards Being Empowered by the Holy Spirit is tailor-made freely given by God through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the work is to create in us first and foremost the reality that we cannot rely on our age, ethnicity, educational attainment, acumen and dexterity, experience, family background and social-economic status to run the Christian race either as clergy/leaders or laity/led. Gideon, like many wise children of God, recognised and professed that his family is poor in Israel and he was again the least in his family (Judges 6:15). Rather, our one and only required and indispensable tool is the possession of the Holy Spirit. We should therefore do all that lies within our power, strength and wherewithal and indeed beyond our capability, power and strength to acquire the Holy Spirit. We must perspire to be able to inspire. The steps to be taken to be endowed are simple. Surrender to the lordship and supremacy of Jesus Christ. Thereafter, ask, seek and knock; be consistent, be steadfast, be
resolute, do not accept defeat or take no for an answer (Matt 7:7; Luke 18:1). And you will be richly endowed beyond your imagination.
For ease of comprehension, the book is delineated into seven chapters viz; the Holy Spirit, the Characters of the Holy Spirit, Prophecy of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit, Signs and Wonders in Church History, Simple Steps to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit, Inspirational Quotes from God's Generals and concludes with Attractions and Gains of the Holy Spirit.
CHAPTER ONE: THE HOLY SPIRIT
Who is the Holy Spirit? This question is important because the answer will lead us to the understanding of who the Holy Spirit is as well as his membership
of Godhead. Many present-day Christians know little or nothing about this great member of the Trinity. Going through the scriptures, you find out that in both the Old and New Testaments, the Holy Spirit played an important role in enforcing all the plans of God in his creations and his will for his people till today. In Genesis, the Bible ascribes the successful creation of the entire heaven and earth to the Holy Spirit.
Even now, the age of the Holy Spirit, the church is still ignorant of the Holy Spirit. Some churches even deny his role and operation in their midst thereby hindering his performances in their churches and programmes.
Some thought the Holy Spirit is less important in their ministries. Others are saying supernatural enablement of the Holy Spirit was only for the apostolic age. According to this position, signs and wonders reported after that time were lies or did not occur by divine means.
This cycle of arguments in which a theological judgement is made in an arrow that signs and wonders are impossible after the first century thereby forcing the conclusion that historical evidence of miracles, signs and wonders are fraudulent is incorrect. The great weakness of that position is that there is no scripture to support their argument that divine miracles ceased upon the death of the twelve apostles of the Lamb and their generation. Rather, there is very strong backing that this is the Holy Spirit Age and his gift will continue till the second coming of the Lord (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). Let it be known to all believers that the enforcement of all the wills of God upon all his creatures is done by the Holy Spirit. For any church to operate without the Holy Spirit is a denial of the Trinity of the Godhead. The epistle of Paul to the Corinthians says,
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1 Cor 13:8-10
The interpretation given 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 has not shown us that prophecies have failed. Tongues have not ceased and knowledge has not vanished away. Let it be known to all believers that all the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit shall remain in the church until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many scriptures backing this truth (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Acts 2:38-39). Those who are denying the Holy Spirit's gift and his ministry and operations of signs and wonders are doing so to their perils (Mk 3:28-29).
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity but surprisingly we know so little about him. The gospel according to St. Matthew documents that,
I indeed baptise you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.
Matt 3:11
The prophecy that He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire is an important and sound message to all believers who had received and made Jesus their personal Lord and Saviour. To operate without this fire and the Holy Spirit is like a blind man walking on the high way. There is no alternative to the Holy Spirit for any Christian leader; you can never substitute the Holy Spirit with any known power or force.
It is important for you as a Christian leader to long for God's power to rest upon you and your ministry and to be on fire at any event. Without this fire upon a leader, nothing can possibly be achieved for the Kingdom of God. Throughout the Old Testament, God demonstrated his power in the leaders of Israel; in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and in godly kings and prophets. He still bestows that power upon his people today. This is still God's day of grace. It is still the dispensation of the Holy Spirit and his power. God has not changed. If any person does not have the Holy Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. Hence,
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:9
Some say that the days of miracles are past. They are trying to live by what God said in the past and refusing to hear what He is saying today. They have rejected the God of miracles, signs and wonders. The scripture says,
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:38
Out of our innermost being, Jesus said, are to flow streams of living water. By this, John added, Jesus meant the Spirit viz;
But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:39
Christian leaders with a desert condition in their souls will experience no outflow. It is as simple as that. Living in a minimum experience of the Holy Spirit will not result in overflowing spiritual gifts to others. You can bless others no more than you are blessed. For nobody can give what he or she does not have. As a Christian or as a leader, you must be baptised by this fire to be able to record huge success for the Kingdom's assignment. Even our Lord and Master himself was anointed before He started his own ministry here on earth. The Bible confirms,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
Luke 4:18
It is pure disobedient to reject the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a Christian and as a leader before embarking on this higher commission. Jesus instructed,
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 1:8
Jesus says, wait until you are clothed with this power and the Holy Spirit. We should obey the voice of the Master.
Who Is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is God, as a member of the Trinity. Though less known by many Christians, He is the power house of the church. It is true that many believers do not know him or regard his work in their lives and ministries. Some even do not give space for him to operate in their life and ministry thereby silencing him and his power in any of their gathering where his powers ought to operate greatly. The Holy Spirit is God; He is to be given the equal respect and honour reserved for God the Father and God the Son. He should never be regarded to be inferior to the two other members of the Divine Trinity.
In this age of the Holy Spirit, the prayer of any leader is that he may be given the power to know the will of God through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We believe that many leaders and ministers shut out the aid of the Holy Spirit by their refusal to accord to him his proper place to operate and direct. The Holy Spirit must have freedom to operate or He will not operate at all.
How can a Christian leader operate in God's vineyard without the God of the vineyard? Relying on training will only produce what training can produce. Relying on your education and skill is never enough to achieve a good result for the Kingdom's work. Some say their committees are capable but you will still get the result of a committee. God's work deserves our human best, but our human best needs God's touch and his supernatural leadership by which He has called us to join him to get a good result. It is a cooperative work.
The greatest lack in most Christian leadership and ministry is the Spirit's empowerment. We are attempting to do God's work depending only nominally upon God while depending primarily upon ourselves - our training, our past experience, our knowledge and sincere efforts. But the most important thing we need is the Holy Spirit empowerment again and again. I believe this was the reason why our Lord
and Master warned his disciples saying,
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Luke 24:49
If you embark on this heavenly mission without the Holy Spirit empowerment, you will fail, no matter the amount of training or experience one has acquired. It is a must to wait and seek the empowerment before starting off.
God has made every provision for you to have as much of the Holy Spirit's presence and power as you need to serve him effectively. He did not expect you to do it by your own power. He never expected you to rely exclusively on your own efforts and resources. He did not expect the Apostles and first disciples to do so either. This explains why Jesus told his appointed leaders not to begin witnessing and ministering immediately after his ascension. They have been with him for more than three years during which He trained them carefully, but it was all important that they be endowed with the Holy Spirit power in a specially
equipping way for the work which will be their life time commission.
Why do so many ministers and leaders believe that something is lacking in their leadership? They have had adequate training, they make all the needed preparation, and they work hard and faithfully. However, all these remain largely on human efforts. It is all important that they be endowed with the Holy Spirit power in a specially equipping way. This is a lesson we all have to learn.
Pray and beseech God till He gives you his message, his word for the people. Also, pray, hunger and thirst for special anointing on you and your ministry/leader-ship. As a Christian and as a leader, you don't need to start anything and invite God to join you. Don't plan and tell God to bless your plan. Get your plan from God; ask God to prepare you. Then ask God to guide you, not in ten seconds prayer. Take time to seek God in prayer and fasting, seek God's face first. Then ask God to anoint your ministry and leadership He has for you.
If you feel the lack of the power of the Spirit in your life and ministry, why not make every effort to look to.
God for his answer. There is no lack with God; He placed the Holy Spirit on the seventy Israelite elders just as He had on Moses. Moses said,
… Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
Num 11:29
God longs to give his Spirit abundantly to all his children especially to all in Christian leadership. He is not tired of giving to those who ask for it. It is the joy of the Lord that you are operating by the directions of his Spirit and his power. The last statement of our Lord must be heeded;
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 1:8
Many of us who didn't heed this warning have many stories to tell. The Master has many reasons for telling
us to wait till we receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon us. He is not coming to touch us and go, but to baptise us so that He will live in us forever to keep empowering us to carry out the heavenly assignment given to us by God the Father himself. Jesus reveals,
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:16-17
Now if you say you are carrying out the heavenly assignment, how then do you refuse the Holy Spirit and power to carry out the commission?
I think it is proper for us now to stop where we are and prepare ourselves in readiness to seek the power and the Holy Spirit to continue this great commission. No time is late to seek God and his spiritual power. The scripture says,
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Luke 11:13
And,
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Prov 28:26
It is a waste of time trying to do it with your own wisdom, experience and power when it is clear that the material is made ready for you. You only need to seek it earnestly with all your heart and you will receive it. We must obey him. Hence,
And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Luke 24:48-49
We are not ready for Christian witness, service or leadership until we are clothed with the promised power of the Holy Spirit. Paul made bold when he told his listeners that he cannot depend on the ability of his personal power and wisdom of man viz;
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1 Cor 2:4-5
From the above, Apostle Paul shows the reason why he was able to write many epistles in the Bible thus marking him out as
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 25.05.2016
ISBN: 978-3-7396-5703-5
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Widmung:
I humbly dedicate this book to my beloved parents; their inspiration had made me what I am today. My Dad was an evangelist. I have not forgot his prophecy in one of his ministrations. That fateful Sunday, he told the congregation to pray hard that something will happen to the church that week. Unfortunately, he died on Wednesday the same week while hosting the church committee meeting in our compound; sleep well in the Lord.
To my dear wife who keeps encouraging me in the work of the vineyard; the Lord will keep strengthening you in Jesus' name. Amen.