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each day on our A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE In the previous lesson we saw that every saved person has the Holy Spirit, for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Romans 8:9). Not only does every child of God have the Holy Spirit but each believer has experienced the "baptism." This baptism, or placing into the Body of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, accompanies salvation. I Corinthians 12:13 states: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body . . .. The baptism, administered to ALL the saved immediately, endows each believer with at least one of the gifts found in Ephesians 4, Romans 12, and I Corinthians 12. The gifts are not for a select few who "strive" or "work" in order to appease God for spiritual favors. Never! Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3). Instead, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal (I Corinthians 12:7), and . . . all these [gifts] worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (I Corinthians 12:11). Believers are not commanded to seek any gift but instead the Giver - the blessed Holy Spirit. Then, because He divides to every man as He wills, one gladly accepts His choice of gifts for his life. If one feels his gift is unimportant, remember that we are all members or parts of Christ's body and . . . those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary (I Corinthians 12:22). Fingernails and toenails may seem to be inferior parts of one's body, but what problems one encounters without them. So every member has his place of importance in Christ's body. Rejoice in the gift God has given you and do not seek another's gift. You might be out of place if the Holy Spirit wants you to be a finger instead of an eye. Likewise, you may be out of order when you seek the gift of faith and the Holy Spirit wants "helps" for your lifelong gift. Whatever the gift, every believer has at least one. You see, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh ALL IN ALL (I Corinthians 12:4-6). Praise God, it is He who works ALL THE GIFTS and IN ALL. All that God requires is that every believer use his gift to the best of his ability. To do so will bring great reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Disobedience in administering the gift will bring loss of rewards (II John 8). Let's move now to the teaching concerning the filling of the Spirit. The "baptism" and the "filling" are two distinct things. The baptism is a once-for-all experience which places the believer into the Body of Christ. Since the Holy Spirit is God and all-knowing, He makes no mistakes as He places the saved into Christ's body. If He did make mistakes, and members of the Body of Christ were eventually removed, there would be a mutilated, amputated, disfigured atrocity in eternity. Instead, every true believer is "baptized" and "sealed" into that Body by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). Though there is only one "baptism," there are many "fillings." Ephesians 5:18 states: . . . be filled with the Spirit. The literal Greek declares: Be being filled which implies a continuous process. Every believer needs it, as much as his fuel-guzzling automobile needs gas, in order to run efficiently for Christ. The baptism produces the gifts but the filling enables one to minister the gifts spiritually. Though all have gifts, not all are spiritual. Thousands today who claim "the gift" are carnal because they are not being filled daily by the Spirit. Let me prove this from I Corinthians 13:1-3: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, l am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Five gifts are mentioned in these three verses: tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, and helps. They can all be ministered in a state of carnality. One is not spiritual because of tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, or helps. Why? Because it takes the fruit of the Spirit to minister the gifts spiritually. Read carefully: Love is Number One on God's listing in Galatians 5:22 as the fruit of the Spirit. This is the same love of I Corinthians 13 that suffereth long, and is kind; that envies not; that vaunts not itself and is not puffed up; that does not behave itself unseemly, that seeks not her own, that is not easily provoked, that thinks no evil, that rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (verses 47). Do you have this fruit? You may speak in tongues and be mean, or you may have the "gift of faith" and be cantankerous. You may be a "helper" in the vineyard and do nothing but cultivate poison grapes for other Spirit-filled believers. God says even though one prophesies, preaches with power, or has the gift of knowledge and faith and has not love, the "gifted" one is nothing in God's eyes. And even though one "helps" by giving his all for the poor or being burned to death and has not love, he will end up with nothing at that day when God's rewards are distributed for service. You see, it is the fruit of the Spirit that counts. The gifts can be ministered without the fruit. In fact, the gifts can be duplicated by Satan. The present situation is sometimes similar to Moses' day when the devil's magicians counterfeited the miracles of God's servant. Do not take my word for it but look at the statement of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? They manifested the gifts of prophecy, discernment of spirits, miracles, plus helps or works. But Christ never knew them (verse 23). Since "never" means never, they manifested the gifts without being saved. They did not possess the "fruit" of the Spirit but were workers of iniquity. Let's seek the fruit of the Spirit to minister the gifts. This will produce godliness and holiness. The Fruit of the Spirit Every believer needs a daily infilling of the Spirit in order to live a spiritual life. No believer has ever reached the place where he does not need to walk by means of the Spirit, for when we walk in the Spirit, we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). The nine words describing this fruit are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22). These represent superhuman qualities which the flesh could never produce. Only God, the Holy Spirit, is able to make mortal beings act this way. No human can duplicate, nor devil counterfeit, the fruit of the Spirit. It is the only way to be like Jesus, for someone has well said: "Galatians 5:22 is the shortest biography of Christ ever written." Only the "fulness of the Spirit" can make one like Jesus. The term fruit is singular, meaning that all nine graces form the fruit. The Holy Spirit does not produce a few of these but usually all nine when one is Spirit-filled. They are:
In Corinth this love was missing and the gifts became a source of competition among the "spiritually elite." That is why Paul said in I Corinthians 13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. The presence of gifts is not the evidence of the Spirit's filling. You may have gifts, but prophet, miracle worker, helper - do you have the fruit? This is where Satan can fool and deceives. He can imitate the gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 12, 13 and 14, but he cannot imitate or produce the fruit of the Spirit. Do not misunderstand - I am not against gifts, but gifts prove nothing. The real evidence is found in the fruit one bears as he ministers the gifts. Oh, that we might be filled with all the fulness of God (Ephesians 3:19). This Holy Spirit produced love makes us love others. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God . . . (I John 4:7). Do you have the real evidence of the Spirit's filling? It is described in I Corinthians 13:4-7: Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not [or is not jealous]; love vaunts not itself [boasting about its gifts]; love seeks not its own; is not easily provoked; thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things and endures all things. The world is waiting to see this evidence. Get filled and show it to them. Don't split churches arguing about superior gifts, but manifest the love that proves one has the Spirit's fruit. We have seen that God demands a high and holy standard of life, but He has also provided the means to produce it .. . . Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Let's begin seeking the fruit instead of gifts. Gifts are for all, but the fruit - though for all - may only be realized by those who grieve not the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), quench not the Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19), and then walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). In simple terms, one must turn from all known sin to a daily reliance on the Holy Spirit if he is to evidence the fulness and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Why not begin today? CHANGED LIVES-one at a time Your web site provides a good resource for finding out what is happening around us. I am very very disappointed with the liberal media/press. It appears that they want to control our thoughts by carefully presenting the news in a deceiving manner. I can only say that they do not want to follow the will of God. Can their will ever be better than God's? No! Thank you Jack Van Impe for standing up for what is right by God. Thank you for basing your answers on what is written in the Bible! May God bless you, your wife, and your household. R. B.
Thank you so much for your wonderful newsletter. It is so informative and is a great help to me in my walk with the Lord. I learn many things that I did not know. Thanks again for being a vessel used of the Lord. My wife and I look forward to your weekly program here in Kentucky. Bill & Karen
I just want to let you know Rexella & Jack that we watch you every week and you bring hope to this world. Jack certainly has an understanding of the bible believable. Thank You again. Robert & Elizabeth HIGHLIGHTED PRODUCT OFFERS Final
World Government, When? NOW! The back of the American dollar bill has announced the birth of the New World Order, in Latin, since 1935. Who masterminded this sinister plot? When? Where? And why would the Illuminati, The Trilateral Commission, The Council on Foreign Relations, The Bilderbergers and the New Agers all together plot, promote and propagate an irreligious and godless monstrosity which will control six billion of earth's citizens - soon - perhaps within months. This rapidly ascending dictatorship will track every last one of us through skin implants and computers capable of performing 50 trillion calculations per second. That's 8,000 pieces of information on each one of us per second. Both Protestant Theologians and Catholic Cardinals believe the Final World Government is waiting in the wings NOW. Dr. Jack and Rexella Van Impe give you the facts on this video and show you how you and your family can be ready!
SIX:
The Mark Unleashed In the last days before Armageddon, a brutal dictator rules the Earth. Using high-tech surveillance from satellites through a sophisticated chip implant, the Community Police Force infiltrates every facet of human existence, tracing each physical and digital footprint left behind. For humanity, freedom is just a fond memory and defiance means death. Two political prisoners meet a mysterious stranger who holds the key to their escape and mankind's survival. Unbeknownst to the prisoners, CPF agents broker a deal with an inmate for his life in exchange for betraying Christian renegades. These three unlikely allies must escape the executioner's blade, thwart a manhunt by elite CPF operatives, and join forces with the world's most wanted fugitive, the leader of the resistance. If they fail, humanity will be marked for death, the resistance will collapse and every last life will have been taken by the enemy. WE ACCEPT PRAYER REQUESTS HERE We receive prayer requests from far and wide via the mail, fax, phone, email and now through the prayer section of our website. FEEDBACK: Please help us with your valuable input. Let us know if you enjoyed this electronic newsletter. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! CONTACT INFORMATION: E-MAIL: jvimi@jvim.com PHONE: (248) 852-5225 (8am-4:30pm Eastern Time) FAX: (248) 852-2692 MAIL: Jack Van Impe Ministries JVIM FAMILY OF WEBSITES: JVIM PROPHECY
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