Blog

Series VIII – Full of faith and the Holy Spirit

AMFBeM Newsletter

June 9, 2020

Acts 6:5, 8, 11:24

What is the difference between having faith and having the Holy Spirit? 

I always like to explain this answer in this manner, it is like having an automobile or home insurance.

  • Automobile: Collision insurance will protect your vehicle from damages caused by collisions with anything. Comprehensive will protect your vehicle from assaults that may happen not due to a collision. Liability will only cover another person’s automobile but not yours. And then there is full coverage that includes collision, comprehensive, and liability. 
  • Homeowners: Improper homeowners’ insurance is when you believe that your home is protected from fire, floods, or any type of disaster caused by the elements, only to find out that your insurance did not include that type of protection because you have not purchased additional specific coverage. 
  • And, then there is renters insurance that will cover only you and your possessions should a disaster of any type occur and the payout will only pay for the value that you believe your property is worth according to the amount you select for your policy.

I believe that being saved gives us fire insurance, hell has a lake of fire where satan, demons, and unbelievers will spend eternity together. Our having fire insurance [comprehensive and home insurance that protects us from the fire] which is our believing in CHRIST JESUS; HIS birth, HIS death, HIS burial, HIS resurrection, HIS ascension, and HIS sitting on the right side of the FATHER are essential in our salvation. But our exclusion of having the Holy Spirit {full coverage}  living within us will not provide the essential power that is needed to live out our remaining years here on earth. Although it is the Holy Spirit that ushers us to JESUS, we will not have the fullness of the Holy Spirit until we are baptized in Him. Once we are baptized in the Holy Spirit a transformation in our faith walk begins unlike what is experienced without Him. It is essential that we ask for Him, Acts 8:15. Take a look at those or what happens when we invite the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts to live. And though I have only chosen three men to write about, take the time to study how all the Apostles were used by the Holy Spirit.

  • Stephen, Philip, and Barnabus were men full of faith and the Holy Spirit/Wisdom.
  • Stephen was full of faith and great power that enabled him to do great signs and wonders among the people.
  • Philip was enabled to proclaim CHRIST JESUS to others.
  • The Holy Spirit speaks, guides, instructs all of us if we will only listen and obey His voice. Take a look at what the Holy Spirit did through Philip.
  • Phillip was told by the Holy Spirit to get up and go to a destination. 
  • Phillip got up and went. (we do not realize that there are either people or someone waiting for our arrival unknowingly)
  • Phillip met a man who was a worshipper and was reading the scriptures but he did not understand what he was reading and Phillip found this out simply by conversing with the man.
  • The man knew that to understand the scriptures he needed someone who would guide him correctly.
  • Just having faith does not mean that we know it all, we are not the ones who possess all the answers but there is One who does and He is the Holy Spirit.
  • Believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit are the only ones who can explain CHRIST JESUS properly, that HE is the promised MESSIAH and that HE alone is the total source of Salvation (our salvation).
  • We cannot explain JESUS to anyone in a minute or by trying to place in the hands of people, gospel tracks. We need to take our time and converse with them much like we do when we strike up a conversation with strangers and speak about nothing valuable such as sports, weather, the condition of what is going on in the world and so.
  • Being water baptized is great but not essential. Water baptism is reserved only for the believers, the ones who in their hearts believe that JESUS CHRIST is the SON of the Living GOD. Baptism is an actual outward demonstration of our life coming to an end and being buried in CHRIST JESUS, and being resurrected as HE was in the newness of our life in HIM. What is essential is that every believer in CHRIST JESUS is baptized in the Holy Spirit.
  • When filled with the Holy Spirit it is impossible for our hearts not to rejoice in the LORD.
  • Barnabus is recorded to be a good man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. 

We all like to believe that we are good, we hear people say that either they themselves have a good heart or that someone else has a good heart. Let me set the record straight; unless you or the person you know has had a heart transplant due to faith and is filled with the Holy Spirit, you nor the person you like to think has a good heart is good. Whoever resides in our heart is the master of our thinking, conversation, and actions. When we have the Holy Spirit residing within us throughout the remaining years of our life we should be adding people to the Kingdom of GOD through CHRIST JESUS and the power of HIS Holy Spirit. There are twelve months in a year if those of us who are true believers and filled with the Holy Spirit will win just one soul to CHRIST JESUS that is twelve people and that is massive. We need to understand that within each person of faith are many souls waiting to hear about JESUS but if we neglect to share HIM with others as someone had to share HIM with you, that is an injustice. No one has to attend a school or be acknowledged/ordained to share JESUS with anyone because once we have by our faith become believers in CHRIST JESUS and baptized in HIS Holy Spirit we are already ordained to share our testimony and the blood of JESUS with others.

AMFBeM ®

amfbem.com  

Leave a Reply