Last Sunday we experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the baptism of fire. Today we want to look at “HOW TO INCREASE THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR MIDST!” It is necessary to increase the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in your life as an individual and in our midst as a local assembly whenever we gather unto the Lord. We can achieve this by:
To eliminate ignorance from your life you must study the Word of God with all diligence (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15).
How can this be achieved?
(a) Through a diligent study of the Word of God in the area of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12, 14). 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(b) Through continuous meditation on the Word of God. (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:1-3; Ps. 119:105, 130; Rom. 1:16-17).
It is the will of God for every Christian to manifest the spiritual gifts that will enable him/her to stand in the office where in God has called him/her (1 Cor. 12, 14; Eph. 4:11-13). For instance, A Prophet is expected to manifest the gift of prophecy in addition to at least two revelation gifts.
An Evangelist is expected to manifest the revelation gifts in addition to the power gifts and some utterance gifts. The spiritual gifts don’t belong to you, but to the Holy Spirit. They are not under our control. Therefore, you can’t operate them when you want, but as the Holy Spirit wants.
2. Desiring the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in our midst! How? Earnestly [eagerly]! You can only desire what you know. The knowledge you have about a thing is what will create the desire for that thing in your life. In other words, an earnest desire for something can only be created through a sound knowledge of that thing (1 Cor. 14:1; 1 Cor. 12:31).
3. Praying in one accord concerning the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in our midst! When more than two people who are of one mind come together and pray, a corporate unction causes the result to manifest faster: one will chase 1000, and two will chase 10,000. So, more than two will chase more than 20,000 (Acts 4:23-31; Matt. 18:19-20).
A good example is what happened when Peter and John were threatened after the healing of the man at the gate of the temple called Beautiful (Acts 4:24, 29-30).
What happened when they finished praying? There was great manifestation of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31-33).
4. Ensure that there is Unity amongst us (Ps. 133:1-3). Everyone in the church ought to be in one accord. What does it mean to be in one accord? It means to be of one mind. It means to be likeminded (Phil. 2:2).
5. Intense and Sustained worship! His glory comes down when we worship Him in one accord [in unity; with one mind] (2 Chron. 5:11-14).
This is talking about ministering to God in a sustained manner. God’s Presence is ushered into a service through worship. When we worship God we not only invite the King of Glory into our midst, but we also move deeper into His Presence. When God’s Glory is made manifest, He can touch and heal thousands of people in an instant. Miracles and healings will take place without the laying on of human hands. And as the worship of the saints grow purer, more intense and sustained longer, the manifestation and experience of God’s glory will increase in intensity.
Prayer and worship spread a spiritual canopy over God’s people. The power of God always prevails when we intensify and sustain the worship. If you want a breakthrough in your life, you must break forth into praising and worshipping the Lord. Break forth into dancing, into joy, into praise, into prayer, and into worship. Begin by letting your voice break forth. It will help you to breakthrough spiritually.
Conclusion: Beloved, if everyone here today that is Born Again earnestly puts the above steps into action, I assure you that there will be a great manifestation of the Holy Spirit in your life as an individual and in our midst as an Assembly.
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
- Your friend: I. I. Madubunyi (Senior Pastor) @ the HQs on 04.06. 2023
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