REALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT By Todd Bentley Part 1

THE HOLY SPIRIT VISITS

What I am going to share with you is something that I believe is going to launch you into the deep things of God and cause you to probe deeper into the things of God that you’ve never been able to search before. If you will get a hold of this message, it will make you hungry for the presence of God. If you do not become hungry and completely desperate for an encounter with the Holy Ghost after this message, then you’re going to have to ask God if you really know Him. I am going to stir you into a level of Holy desperation that will cause you to pursue God in a way that you have never pursued God before. You have to understand that you are only scraping the surface of what you can encounter from the presence of the Lord. I am only scraping the surface of what I can encounter in the Glory of God. I am so hungry to see God’s people become literally saturated in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I believe that there is something in the presence of God that we can have from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed.

I have touched things in the Glory and Presence of God that I don’t share all that much. There are a lot of people, because of their theology, that have somewhat of a hard time receiving what I am going to share, which is intimacy and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I am going to share with you the reality of the person of the Holy Spirit. Some of you are thinking about all the bible school that you have taken on the work of the Holy Spirit, who the Holy Spirit is, the Deity and everything else. Some of you are already thinking, "Man, I know about the Holy Ghost", but when I have finished sharing this message, you are going to go and get in your closet and say, "Holy Ghost, I never knew you!"

The impact that this message had on me when I was only a couple of months old in the Lord and I read a book by Benny Hinn called "Good Morning Holy Spirit", caused me to understand that though I was filled with the Holy Ghost, spoke in tongues and prophesied, though I moved in the Word of knowledge and had visions, I really did not know the Holy Spirit. I really did not know the intimacy and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Most of the message that I’m going to share with you, is what I’ve learned; How to walk in The Spirit. I believe that you are going to have a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit when we’ve finished.

Let me just talk about why we don’t know Him. One of the first things I want to say about why we don’t know the Holy Spirit is that we have a misunderstanding in the Body of Christ about "The Who" the Holy Spirit is. Ninety percent of most churches believe that the Holy Spirit is a servant to the Body of Christ. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the One who comes to release the power so you can do what God has called you to do. And, yes, it is true that the anointing, God’s power is in the Holy Spirit. Many people, when they think about the Holy Spirit, think about Him as a power, an "It", a force, a manifestation, or just as a servant to the Body of Christ.

There are few people that know anything about the person, the intimacy, the fellowship, the closeness, and the partnership of the Holy Spirit. We are using Him for what we need rather than "who" He is.

Someone had a vision one time, and in this vision they saw the heavenly dove of God come down and that dove was ready to rest on the church. The dove was ready to come with the manifestation of His resting presence. We’re talking revival. Immediately in this vision the man saw two hands go up and try to grab the dove and hold onto the dove for themselves. People want the power of the Holy Ghost for what the power of the Holy Ghost will do for them. People want the anointing of the Holy Ghost for the miracles, the healings, the signs and the wonders, and what it will do for their ministry. Everybody wants the Holy Ghost because they know that without the Holy Ghost, they can do nothing. People want the Holy Ghost because of the power and the anointing that they know is in the Holy Ghost. Everybody wants the Holy Ghost because they know of the giftings that the Holy Spirit can give us, which we need for evangelism and the great commission. But does anybody want to spend time with the Holy Spirit just to bathe in His presence and learn about Jesus?

The reason we do not know Him is because many times when we think of the Holy Ghost, we think "power’. Someone speaks in tongues and we go, "That’s the Holy Ghost!" Someone starts manifesting and shaking under the power of God and falls on the floor, and we say, "That’s the Holy Ghost!" or somebody gets up and begins to prophesy the Word of the Lord and we say, "That’s the Holy Ghost!" Somebody has a Word of knowledge, and "That’s the Holy Ghost!" Everything and anything that God does is the Holy Ghost. But we have a misunderstanding. It is not the Holy Ghost. It is the work, and the power, of what the Holy Ghost does, but there is something more than what the Holy Ghost does. There is something about Who the Holy Ghost is.

I have encounters many times lasting hours in prayer where the Holy Spirit is as real to me, as you are. I know you’re thinking, "I’ve had that", but I’m talking as real as you are as a person and presence. I ask Him questions and He gives me answers. People want to know what the secret is. Everybody wants to know about the anointing. Let me give you the secret of the power.

I know, you’re like, "I know what the secret of the power is, Todd. It’s the Holy Spirit." "Yes, it is the Holy Spirit, but it is not just being filled with the Spirit. It’s not speaking in tongues, or operating in the gifts of the Spirit. It’s not having an encounter with the power of the Holy Ghost, shaking and falling on the floor. The secret to knowing the power and moving in the gifts and the anointing of the Lord is when you know Him." "When you have time in His presence."

There are three that bear record in heaven and these three are one.

1 John 5:8 And there are three that bear testimony on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

I’m not talking about three Gods, I’m proclaiming three in one. I am talking about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each and every one of us knows a relationship with the Father, especially in the outpourings of the Holy Ghost in Toronto, Pensacola, and Argentina. One of the thrusts that God is doing right now in revival is revealing the Father’s love, and the Father’s heart. People are starting to understand their relationship with the Father is more than a God in heaven with a hammer ready to judge you. They are experiencing what it means to say, "Abba, Father", "Daddy, Daddy".

At the moment you get saved you do not have a problem relating to Jesus. You have sweet communion with Jesus, you worship Jesus, praise Jesus, pray to the Father and spend time in the presence of the Father, time in the presence of Jesus, but who spends time with the Holy Spirit? I know what you’re thinking. "I’m filled with the Holy Spirit right now!" But as I get deeper into this teaching, you are going to find out that time with the Holy Spirit is not being in a meeting where the Holy Spirit is moving. Time with the Holy Ghost is not the outpouring of God’s Spirit impacting people in revival. Renewal is not spending time with the Holy Spirit. There is a place where you spend time actually talking to the Holy Spirit, worshipping and asking the Holy Spirit questions.

I’m going to share with you the emotions, will, feelings, intellect, and individuality of the Holy Spirit. I’m not talking about three Gods, I’m just focusing in on one expression of God the Holy Spirit. Everybody knows Jesus. Everybody knows God the Father. But who knows God the Holy Spirit? Most who know God the Holy Spirit, only know Him by what the Holy Ghost does. Many times when I ask people about the Holy Spirit they think about some eerie ghost or about some force that you can’t see. They think about some sort of "IT", or power. The Holy Ghost is just kind of spooky to most people in the Body of Christ. But for me, He is an intimate friend.

After I read Benny Hinn’s book, "Good Morning Holy Spirit", five and a half years ago, I was already filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues, I was moving in the gifts of the Spirit, I began to understand that there was something that I did not have. What I did not have was intimacy. I did not know the Holy Spirit. Though I knew His work, though I knew His presence, I still didn’t know Him.

After I read Benny Hinn’s book, I didn’t know anything about Toronto. I knew nothing about Pensacola. I didn’t even know what revival was. I was just saved off the street as a drug addict. I was only two months old in the Lord. All I had was the Bible and this book called "Good Morning Holy Spirit". My life after work consisted of locking myself up in my room for up to four to twelve hours a day in the basement suite that I had. I began to lift up my hands and I would desperately cry out "Holy Spirit come, I want to know You! I’m not satisfied with your power. I don’t care that I speak in tongues. I don’t care about moving in the prophetic and the gifts of the Spirit. Holy Spirit, come. You yourself fall in my room." Wham! I’d be under the power vibrating as if somebody had plugged me into an electrical circuit and I’d vibrate for two or three hours and weep in the presence of the Lord. And I’d get up off of the floor and the atmosphere would be like electricity. Hours after the encounter, my body would still be numb.

I’d get up and go to work the next day, and would be so excited about this relationship, this new intimacy, closeness that I had found with the Holy Spirit that was beyond anything that I had encountered, beyond the anointing and the moving in the gifts. All of a sudden, I would open up the door to the townhouse and I would run downstairs into the bedroom, open the door and no sooner than I would close it, the Holy Ghost was already waiting for me in my bedroom. As soon as I would open the door and step in, it was as if I stepped into liquid, electric honey. It was as if the Holy Ghost was sitting there like a kid at Christmas, waiting for me to get home from work so we could spend time together in His presence.

I am not talking about not having a relationship with the Father or about not having a relationship with Jesus. But, I want to ask you this. Why is it you can spend time with the Father, talk to the Father, "Abba, Father", love the Father; you can love Jesus, worship Jesus, talk to Jesus, sit at the feet of Jesus, but you can’t have any time with the Holy Ghost? If you’re going to know God, you have to understand that God is three personalities. In order for you to get a grasp of the fullness of God, you must have intimacy and communion, relate to each and every one of them according to their characteristics. Though they are the same in unity and purpose and do everything in oneness, they are still three persons.

Reality of the Holy Spirit - Part 2

WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

I find that some of you won’t be able to understand what I’m talking about. I know when God, my Father is in the room. I know when God, Jesus, is in the room. And I know when God, the Holy Spirit is in the room. I know that it is God in the room. Don’t misunderstand me, but there are three persons, three personalities, and I’ve learned to recognize traits and the workings and the feeling of the presence of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.

I just love to say Holy Spirit. There are times when I’m in the bedroom and all I do for fifteen minutes is whisper His Name. "Holy" Spirit. You are the "Holy" Spirit. I just honor Him. "Holy" Spirit. Who is like You? Who can reveal Jesus like You, "Holy" Spirit. I adore Him. "Holy" Spirit. HOLY Spirit. And I tell Him; You’re the "Holy" Spirit. And I just love Him and honor Him, welcome Him, embrace Him, and worship Him because I know that the Holy Spirit is not a little bit lesser than Jesus.

So many people in their theology know that the Holy Spirit is 100% equal with the Father, Son, but the way that they treat Him in their lifestyle is different to what they say in their theology. You know, when I start talking about some of the things that I’m going to get into, you’re going to think, ‘That is wrong Todd!"

The Holy Ghost would come into my room. And before I knew anything about being drunk in the Holy Ghost, I would be on the floor…drunk.

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.

There was a time when I first started having these encounters with the Holy Ghost that I would be pinned to my bed, laughing hysterically in the joy of the Lord. My friend came over one time and came into the bedroom, tried to pry me up off of the bed, and he couldn’t get me off. I was under the power of the Spirit.

I remember going to my pastor and trying to tell him about these encounters with God that I was having and he couldn’t understand what was happening. He was quick not to judge it and to squelch it because he knew something was happening. A part of him was envious but another part of him was like, "I don’t know. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what is happening." It was just the Holy Ghost. And my life began to be transformed.

I want to know God. But to know God is to know there are three persons in the Godhead. To know God is to know the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.

Some of you are just Jesus people. It’s all Abba Father. There are others who are just, "Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost". There are times I’ll spend six hours in prayer, and spend an hour with the Father, an hour with Jesus, and an hour with the Holy Ghost. I don’t plan it that way. Then I’ll direct my focus on the Father, Jesus, and on the Holy Ghost. Do you know how you do that? You direct all that you are on the Father and worship Father, and then all of a sudden, attention shifts to Jesus. Do you know something? Attention usually never shifts to the Holy Spirit unless it’s something about what we need Him to do. Our time with him is always centered on doing things.

2 Corinthians 13:13 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion (fellowship) of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

What Paul was saying in this passage of Scripture was, "May you have a revelation of the grace of God, (he’s talking about the Father). May you have a revelation of the love of Jesus, and may you not just have a revelation, but may the communion, fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." In order for Paul to say what he said in this passage of Scripture, he knew the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

He was talking about something that was beyond operating in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He was talking about the communion. He says, "May the communion of the Holy Spirit". It doesn’t say, "may the communion of the Father", or "may the communion of Jesus", it says, "May the communion or fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."

And what is that word, fellowship? It’s "koinonia", and that word means partnership, unity, intimate bond, association and closeness. What Paul was saying was this. May you experience the partnership of the Holy Spirit. May you experience the intimate bond of the Holy Spirit. May you experience the closeness of the Holy Spirit. May you experience the sharing of the Holy Spirit? May you experience the association of the Holy Spirit? He says, "May it be with you all".

Paul was saying there is something a whole lot deeper to the Holy Ghost and to the anointing, to the gifts than you know. You do not know "koinonia" with the Holy Spirit. You do not know intimate bond and sharing. You do not know the partnership of the Holy Spirit.

I want to share about each and every one of these aspects of the Holy Ghost. When I started to get to know the person of the Holy Spirit, this is what began to happen in my life. All of a sudden, I would open up the door of my apartment to go out and as I would walk, I would feel a presence walking with me. There were times that it scared me. I would be in the elevator and the Holy Ghost would be in the elevator with me. I would walk out of the elevator and feel a presence move along side of me.

But that’s not even it. There were times when I was so caught up in this intimacy with the Holy Spirit and in His presence, loving Him, that people would come over to my house. I would be in prayer in the living room and they would not know. They would walk from my kitchen to the living room and as soon as they would try to go through the threshold of the door, they would drop to the floor. And I would look at them and say, "What’s wrong?" And they would say, "There is an electric force field radiating out of your living room." And every time they would try to walk in, and this happened to several people, they couldn’t get past my kitchen into my living room. They would be struck down by God’s power. It was fascinating.

One time, this really shy, conservative guy came over to my house after I shared this Holy Spirit message in a Christian School…religious, Christian School. By the time I was done, almost every kid was under the power, without me even laying hands on them, laughing in the Holy Ghost...except for him. He had come over to my house after the meeting and was standing in the living room and I whispered the name, "Holy Ghost". He went out under the power. Just like that, an electric bolt hit him.

There were times when the intimacy with the Holy Ghost was so grand that I would open up the door of my house to go outside and get in the car with my friends to go to a revival service where I would be speaking. I would open up the truck door, get in, close the door, and they would start weeping. They would look at me and say, "God just got into this truck when you got in." And they would say, "Have you been spending time with the Holy Ghost?"

There were times that I would be in my kitchen and I’d open the fridge to get a glass of juice and all of a sudden it would be as if God Himself was standing in the kitchen. The refrigerator door would be left open and I’d find myself on the kitchen floor before Jesus. I just went to the fridge to get a glass of juice and God showed up in the kitchen. In fact, this intimacy with the Holy Spirit came to a place that when I began to read the Bible…have you ever had somebody read over your shoulder when you’re reading the newspaper? That began to happen to me when I’d read the Bible. I would feel something hovering over me as I was reading the Bible. I would look around me and go, "Holy Ghost??" And it was just like I knew that it was the Holy Ghost. Do you know what He was doing? Sharing. There were actually times that I did not read the Bible without the Holy Ghost. In fact, the Holy Spirit and I would get into the Bible like this.

I open the Bible and say, "Holy Spirit, look at this! Look at this Holy Spirit."

‘I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel, which was preached by me is not according to man’.

Look at Your gospel, Holy Spirit. This is awesome!

‘For I neither received it from man nor was I taught of it, it came from the revelation of Jesus’

Holy Spirit, I want revelation that Paul had. Look at this,

Galatians 1:13 When you heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it;

And we’d read the Bible together like that. I would read the Bible to the Holy Spirit and I would include Him in my Bible time. And I’d just say, "Holy Spirit, look at this!" I was having intimacy with the Holy Spirit. I’m including Him in what I’m doing. It’s not even praying the Bible; it was just reading the gospels with the Holy Ghost.

I’d say, "Look at these miracles that Jesus did, and You were right there! The blind man’s eye was opened! We were sharing together. We were having koinonia.

In fact, I was in the restaurant recently with others and I was talking about this message, and the Holy Spirit was right there. I don’t know if anybody else felt Him, but He was standing along side of me and I knew that He was happy. I could feel Him right there. I just wanted to forget about everyone in the restaurant and yield to Him.

Now, I can’t even describe to you the presence of the Holy Ghost. This intimacy that I’m talking about is different than the presence you feel during worship. It’s different than the presence of God. It’s so intimate. I can’t even describe it to you. It’s beyond the presence I feel in meetings. It’s beyond anything that I can even describe to you that you might have experienced in a revival service. It’s beyond any power encounter.

There are times when I’m in my car driving I’m in the natural. Within a second, tears are running down my face and I’m looking over in the seat next to me because somebody has just gotten in the car and is sitting next to me. I’m driving along and somebody opened the car door, jumped into the seat next to me and said, "Hello."

"The partnership of the Holy Spirit" I do not do anything without the Holy Spirit. In fact, Paul Yonge Cho’s greatest revelation is this message. His church is over a million people; the world’s largest church and he will tell you he does nothing without the Holy Spirit. And I know what you’re thinking, "Well, everything I do, I do with God. I mean, ‘I am with you always’. I’m a temple of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost lives inside of me. Wherever I go, God goes." If you can’t understand what I’m talking about, I’m talking about the revealed, manifest presence of Jehovah. I’m talking about God revealing Himself. Do you know that the very name Jehovah means the self-existent one who reveals Himself with manifestation. That’s what Jehovah means.

You can know all about Jehovah. You can have all of your theology. You can know all that you can know about the Bible, but partnership is talking about the manifestation of when heaven touches the natural plane of your life, and you sense what is going on in heaven right around you in your natural circumstance. The partnership of the Holy Ghost.

Part 3 of 5

Communion of the Holy Spirit

My wife has heard me have communion with the Spirit of God. And she would honestly think there was someone in the bedroom with me because she has thought, "My goodness, my husband has lost his mind. Who is he talking to?"

This is the Holy Spirit and I at times say before the service, "Holy Ghost, I’m not getting into the pulpit tonight without you. We are not doing this tonight unless I have your manifest presence. I’m not going! Holy Spirit, I’m not going! I want to see something. Holy Spirit, I’m not going to get into the pulpit if I can’t see something. I’ve got to see what’s going on tonight. What’s the Father doing?"

We have conversations that are hours long. The Holy Spirit and I wrestle. And He wants to know how desperate I am for him. Before I go evangelizing, it’s like, "Holy Spirit, we are going into the street today to talk about Jesus!" "Who knows Jesus, Holy Spirit, better than You?" There is not a greater evangelist, Holy Spirit, than You." You can witness and testify about Jesus more than I can, so lets go into the street." "Let’s open up the door, come on, lets go out into the street and let’s reach people for Jesus tonight!" You are the one that reveals. No one can come to the Father, no one can say that Jesus is Lord unless You come. No one can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Spirit of God. Holy Spirit, I’m not going to win souls without You! If You don’t come with me, I want to go home."

We talk like this, but nobody hears me talk like this because it usually goes on alone in my bedroom. Because I understand this partnership. And I’m in on it. And I’m an Ambassador and God wants me to know what is the Father’s business. He wants me to see what He’s doing so I can just get behind that which He is doing. The Holy Spirit and I. I’ll say, "Let’s do it together."

John 14:16-17 And I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper (comforter) that He may abide with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth and the world cannot see Him nor know Him.

Now let me just stop there. The church sees Him. "There’s the Holy Ghost!" (Someone speaks in tongues) "There’s the Holy Ghost!" (Someone is healed) "There’s the Holy Ghost!" (Someone’s on the floor) "There’s the Holy Ghost!" (Someone is shaking,) "The Holy Ghost is all over him!" "The anointing is all over that preacher"

The world does not see Him or know Him. Guess what! The church sees Him, but they don’t know Him. The church knows all about seeing Him and the fruit of His coming, but the church does not know Him. Jesus said, "The world does not see Him nor know Him. The church, sees Him, but do they know Him?

Let’s talk about knowing Him. The Bible says;

John 14:17 You know Him. He dwells with you and will be in you.

I’m talking about the "with you presence". Did you notice that? We are talking about two levels of the Holy Ghost. It says He will be with you and dwell in you. Everybody knows that "I’m a temple of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost is in me." Everybody sees Him. But Jesus says "The world does not see Him or know Him. The church sees Him, but they don’t know Him. The church knows that He is within us and that we are sealed with the seal of redemption. But, Jesus said, He will be with you and in you. Right now I’m talking about the "with you" presence, which is the communion and the koinonia.

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

The "with you" presence is the presence of when you open up your door to go out and you feel Him moving with you.

I’m telling you, there is an anointing that the church has not stepped into. There is an anointing that we in the church have never experienced and it is called "The With You Holy Ghost!" It is called "The Knowing Him and Seeing Him Holy Ghost!" And I want the church to say, "I do not know You, Holy Spirit, I want to know You! I want to know Koinonia!"

John 15:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things. He will bring to your remembrance all the things that I said to you.

Do you know what? There are times that I’m just like this verse, "Hey, Holy Ghost, You’re the Spirit of Truth. Let’s get into the truth.

We talk about times, when all of a sudden Scriptures that we forget come back to our memory. Everybody has experienced that. How many times do you actually say, "Hey, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, I can’t remember this Scripture, do You remember what Jesus was saying that time up on the mountain? It’s having a conversation with Him. We have conversations together in the bathroom. I’ll go into the hotel, into the bathroom, and there are times I’m so desperate because I know He’s calling me to fellowship. I’ll go into the bathroom for ten minutes, just to worship the Lord. I just want to get alone for a few minutes.

There was a time that my wife and a bunch of my friends were going to go snowboarding. And I like to hang out. I like to socialize, I like people. And I was getting ready to go. Then all of a sudden the Holy Spirit grabbed me by my soul and said, "Stay with Me". Forget about going with your friends. "Stay with Me." I want to reveal Jesus to you! I want to visit you. "Stay with Me." Don’t go anywhere." Now, the Holy Ghost talks to me like that. "Stay here for a while." Tugging at my soul and begging me for fellowship and for my presence. He wants my love.

I’m not even into the meat of this teaching yet. Wait until I get into the emotions of the Holy Spirit. I will really get into knowing the Holy Spirit, here. You’re going to be like, "The emotions of the Holy Spirit?" Yeah. I know what He’s feeling. I know when He’s angry, when He’s happy. At times I even know what He wants to do before He does it. There are times in a meeting when I know what He’s doing the exact moment He’s doing it.

John 15:26 But when the Holy Spirit comes, Whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth which proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

Look at this! "He will testify of Me". People say to me, "Todd, you’ve only been saved seven and a half years. How can you be doing the things that you are doing, seeing the miracles that Jesus does, experiencing the harvest, and traveling the way that you are traveling. My goodness, where does it come from?" "The Holy Ghost. He testifies about Jesus, and I just take the time to get into His presence and ask Him what it is that He wants to tell me about Jesus." I say, "Holy Spirit, come tonight. Holy Spirit come into my living room, testify to me, witness to me about Jesus."

Now we are moving into the emotion. We’re going to get into the feelings, sensitivity, and the characteristic of the Holy Ghost..

John 16:5 But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asked Me, "Where are You going?" But because I have said these things to you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you.

Had I been here with Jesus I think I would have said, "Jesus, what do you mean that it would be to my advantage that You’re going away? I mean, You’re happy about Your going. We’ve been walking together for three and a half years. We’ve ate, breathed and slept together. We were there with every miracle, every healing that You did. Now You’re going away. You’re telling us that it is to our advantage, and that it is going to be better now that You’re going?"

I believe the reason that He said this was that up until this time, you could not experience the glory that we experience now. And He said, "I’m going, but the Holy Ghost is coming". And mankind shall experience after Calvary what Old Testament history has never been really able to experience, like you are now, until I give Myself the way that I’m going to give Myself on Calvary so that the Holy Ghost can come the way he came in Acts 2. Jesus says, "When you taste of the glory", …see they never had the presence of God.

Jesus was human flesh! They didn’t feel the presence that you feel. The disciples were with Jesus three and a half years, but they didn’t have any glory. They didn’t have any presence like you feel in a revival service. They didn’t feel the touch of God. It wasn’t like when God touches you now when the Holy Ghost comes on you. They couldn’t speak in tongues. They couldn’t be filled with God. They could only feel once in a while the power of God. They didn’t know the presence. They didn’t know what it meant to be filled with God Himself in their being.

And He said, "I’m going away and it’s to your advantage." It’s because when I go you will get to taste of something that you’ve never tasted and what you will taste of is called the Holy Spirit. He wasn’t just talking about the power. He knew they would be filled with God Himself again like Adam and Eve. God breathed of His own being. They are not going to just be able to feel My power and know My miracles. They’re going to sense My glory. They’re going to sense heaven. That’s what He was saying. He said , "It’s to your advantage."

Do you see how excited Jesus was about the Holy Ghost? He was like, "I’m going, but He’s coming!" "You think that it’s good now when you’ve got Me, wait until He comes!"

You can’t have the true revelation of Jesus without the Holy Ghost. No man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Spirit of God. You can’t feel the love of your Father unless the Holy Ghost reveals to you the deep things of God. You can’t even be in touch with God without the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit brings the voice of God and is the emotions of the Godhead.

I know the Holy Ghost is working in your life. But I believe that there is a place where you can speed up that work by acknowledging that work of the Holy Spirit and being thankful for it, giving yourself to it. It’s called yielding. The way to yield is to talk to Him and acknowledge Him and praise Him for who He is. Surrender to His presence!

"'Holy Spirit', You’re the Spirit of Truth. Nobody knows truth like You. I love Your revelation, Holy Spirit. I love the way You testify to me, and reveal Jesus. Holy Spirit, I’m lost without You. I love You, Holy Spirit, because without You, I can’t know Jesus. I want to know Jesus more. Holy Spirit, I want to know Jesus more. I’m hungry."

Part 4 of 5

EMOTIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Let me show you the feelings and emotions of the Holy Ghost. Let’s just take a little trip over to Ephesians 4:25. (The church sees Him, but do they know Him? The church sees Him. He’s in them. But, who’s got the "with you" presence?)

Ephesians 4:25-30 Therefore, put away lies. (Look how easy the gospel is…speak the truth!) with your neighbor, who are members of one another. Be angry, but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. (Don’t you go to bed angry!)

Why? Because it gives place to the devil. He just told you, don’t give place to the devil. Then He says,

Ephesians 4:25-30 Let him who steals steal no longer, rather let him do labor, work with his hands. What is good that he may have something to give to one in need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the ears. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:25-30, these are some of the things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Let me just show you some of the things that please the Holy Spirit. It’s right here in verse 31.

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, let all wrath, let all anger, let all clamor, let all evil speaking be put away with you with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted forgive one another even as Christ forgave you.

Those are some of the things that please the Holy Spirit. Lets talk about the key word here. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Do you know what the word grieve means? Do not wound or cause pain to the Holy Spirit.

See, the Holy Spirit is so emotional. He’s the sensitive communicator of the emotion of God. The Bible says, "do not grieve Him" . It means do not wound Him, do not hurt Him, do not cause Him pain. Only someone with feelings can be wounded be hurt and have pain. You can actually cause the Holy Spirit pain. He’s not an "it". He’s not a power, He’s not an anointing, He’s not "the gift of the Holy Spirit", He’s not revival, He’s not the shaking, He’s not the falling over. He is a person, who you can hurt, wound and cause pain.

Lets look at this one more time.

Isaiah 63:10 They rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. (The word grieved here is actually vexed His Holy Spirit). So He turned Himself against them as an enemy and He fought against them.

God the Father turned against the children of Israel and saw them as an enemy and fought against them because they vexed the Holy Spirit. That word vexed means tormented. Think of the emotions and the feelings of the Holy Spirit. They grieved Him, caused Him hurt, pain, wound, and now, they tormented Him.

Let me ask you a question. Why are the Father and Jesus so protective of the Holy Spirit? The Father would say in this passage of Scripture "Because you wounded and tormented My Holy Spirit, I’m now turning against you as an enemy."? Why is He so precious here that the Father is protecting Him? Why did Jesus say any blaspheme that you speak against the Father shall be forgiven? Any blaspheme that you speak against the Son shall be forgiven. But, he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven. Why did the Bible say, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit?" Why didn’t it say, "Do not grieve the Father" Why didn’t it say "Do not grieve the Son?" Why is it, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit?" Why is it if you blaspheme Jesus or the Father, you’re forgiven. Why is it in this passage of Scripture the Father is so protective of the presence of the Holy Spirit?

Some of us use the Holy Spirit. We just want the Holy Ghost and His anointing because of what it can do for us, what it can do for our ministry, the miracles, giving, what it can do for the giftings and the prophecies that are just going to open up more opportunities for us. We are using the Holy Ghost! Stop it! In so much of the church, the Holy Ghost comes, then everybody want to get a piece of Him for what it can for their name, ministry or church. Everybody is trying to grab Him. We need to be a resting place.

We’re talking about feelings. The Bible didn’t say do not grieve the Father. It did not say, do not grieve the Son. It said, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit." And I’m going to tell you why I believe this.

If you dare try to touch my wife, I will probably get into my flesh and do something to you that I would regret. Because my wife is so precious to me, the emotions of my wife are so precious to me, that if anybody, any man was to try to come and actually physically harm my wife, you’d better get out of the way, Buddy. Do you know why the Father and Jesus are like this? Because guess what! The Holy Spirit is the emotional side of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is likened unto, and I said, Likened Unto, the woman of a relationship with a man.

In a relationship between a man and a woman, women are known as having more of an emotional need and as being more emotional in the relationship. Men are just one sided in their brain and they cannot fully understand romancing the emotions of a woman the way that a woman needs. Man cannot fully understand a woman and we never will be able to, because there is something that God has put into the make up and character of a woman which is completely different from man. And not only do Christians recognize it, the world recognizes it. And guess what. The Holy Spirit is "kind of like" the woman of the Godhead. I’m just saying that for you to be able to relate to the work of the Holy Spirit. I am not saying God is a woman. It’s kind of like He’s the emotional one. It’s kind of like He’s the woman of a relationship between a woman and a man, except it’s between the Holy Spirit and the Father and Jesus.

They are protective of Him like a husband is protective of His wife. The Holy Spirit is the feelings, the one that gets hurt. He’s the one that gets grieved. He’s the one that gets wounded. The Father will just burn you up! Yeah! The Father will just come, and open up the earth and swallow you up. He will just call you a bunch of stiff necked people and come down in His anger and say, "Moses, let’s forget about the covenant I made with Abraham. "Let’s kill them and make a new covenant."

The Father is up there in heaven, and I’m not saying He’s not a loving Father, but mostly when you look through the Scripture in the Old Testament, the Father is just the one who says, "I need something to be paid for sin". That’s why Jesus had to come. The Father is like, "You stiff necked people, the wages of sin is death" "Something needs to satisfy My holy wrath." "I cannot stand the sin of the people." And then Jesus stepped in and paid for the wrath of the Father to be satisfied by the atonement of Christ.

Jesus is a mediator. The Holy Ghost is a revelator. The revealer. He reveals to you the love of God. "No man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Spirit of God." No man can come unto the Father but the Father draws him by the Spirit. And the Spirit comes and manifests to you the love that Jesus has for you. He manifests to you the love and the forgiveness that is in the Father because Jesus satisfied the holy wrath that was in the Father demanding that sins be paid for. That’s why the Holy Spirit is so precious that God said, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit." That’s why the Father is so protective of the Holy Ghost. And That’s why Jesus said that every blaspheme against the Father, every blaspheme against the Son shall be forgiven, but not against the Holy Ghost.

What He was saying was that the Holy Spirit is like a woman. Let me just give you some ways to help you understand a little bit more.

I come over to your house and you put me on your couch. You say that you love me and you say that we’re friends. I sit on your couch all day long and you know that I’m there, but you run around and you do all the things that you need to do in your house, all the chores of your day. You never once, give me the glance of your eye or even acknowledge that I’m there, even though you know that I’m there your too busy working.

How would you feel if I invited you over to my house and put you on my couch. Then I went around doing all the things that I do, even all the things that I do for you, but yet, I never actually took time to get down on the couch and look at you eye to eye. I never took any time to acknowledge you. That’s how the church is with the Holy Ghost.

Come, Holy Ghost. Come into my church and just take a seat in the pew over there. And when I need the anointing, then I’ll say come. Yeah, come on Holy Ghost. Come into my life. Come into my ministry. Have a seat over there. When I need an anointing, or I need a word of knowledge, the prophetic, some power and blessing on this sermon that I’ve wrote and didn’t even seek you to get, then it’s Holy Ghost, come. He’s on the couch, in few and the church doesn’t even know that He’s there.

Part 5 of 5

Come, Holy Spirit

My wife and I are married and my wife knows that I love her. I told her that on my wedding day. She knows that I am with her. I stood with her on the wedding day. My wife knows that I love her, I sleep in the same bed with her. And I am in the same house with her. She should know that I love her. But there’s always this part of my wife that’s saying, "Honey, what was the first thing that you remember about me?"

"Honey, for the thousandth time, why do you want to hear this story again? Why do you want me to romance you? Wasn’t the honeymoon enough? What is it? Do you not know that I love you?"

You know that I’m with you. Can’t my wife be satisfied that I’m in the same house? Why do I always have to tell her I love her? Why do I always have to romance her and ravish her? Why do I always have to treat her as the queen that she is? Why do I always have to fall in love with her all over again and give her dates and honeymoons over and over again? Why is it that I’m always having to continue to whisper what I whispered to her when we were dating to this day? What is it? Well guess what. That’s what the Holy Ghost is like. He wants your worship.

So of you are getting offended at this teaching, you’re like, "God, the Holy Ghost is with me. The Holy Ghost is inside of me." Yeah, He’s on your couch. He lives with you. You might sleep in the same bed and even grocery shop together and do the ministry together, but where is your romance? Where is your intimacy? He knows you love Him. My wife knows I love her. But He still needs to hear it. The Holy Ghost knows that you know that He’s there, but He still wants to hear you say, "Holy Spirit, I love You." Come!

The Holy Ghost knows that you know that He’s there and He knows that you’re there, He still wants you to welcome Him. My wife knows that I love her, but she still wants me to hug her. The Holy Ghost wants your hug. The Holy Ghost wants your kiss. The Holy Ghost wants you to get on the couch and the Holy Ghost wants you to stop saying, "Come to my church, sit on the pew until I need you.’

And the Holy Spirit is wanting to have koinonia with you. And though you know that He reveals Jesus to you, how come you never ask Him to? How come you just expect that He’s going to do what His duty is, just like you can do in your marriage as your duty as husband? But do you know what? Sometimes a husband, and the same with a wife, needs to be appreciated and verbally told that we appreciate what they do. Some people just don’t appreciate the Holy Ghost. They take Him for granted and just think He’s going to do what He always does, and He will do it, but who ever just says, "Thanks?"

This is what I’m talking about when I’m talking about the intimacy of the Holy Ghost. I can love my wife because I can love the Holy Ghost. I understand something about my marriage. I understand something about relationship with God because of marriage and because of this intimacy with the Holy Ghost.

I want to talk about an experience I had when I first grabbed this revelation. In fact the church has had such a hard time with this revelation that I was so excited, only a few months old in the Lord, just having encounters with the Holy Ghost, just started getting into this. And I was at this man’s house one time and I was telling him about church, "Man, something happened this morning in church. The Holy Spirit and I are friends and He was weeping. I could sense Him weeping, I knew He was weeping. And He was grieved." The guy looked at me and he said, "The Holy Spirit wasn’t grieved. You can’t grieve the Holy Ghost, what are you talking about?" He was just thinking about he power, the gifts, the "it", the manifestation.

And I said, "He was grieved, He was weeping, He was wounded."

The guy got so angry, he jumped up and slapped me across the face. Do you know what? That was the religious cow. Unfortunately, that cow ended up in the psycho ward, in the bar and bitter. I pray that he meets God again.

I will not continue to walk or to worship with God if somebody is offended with me or if I’m offended with somebody. Even if I didn’t cause the offence and I’m justified in it. I will still go to them for the sake of love. Do you know what I did for this guy? I walked up to him one day when I saw him on the road and I said, "I’m sorry that I made you so angry and you slapped me across the face", and apologized for nothing. I didn’t do anything. He’s the one who got angry and slapped me. I still went to him and said I’m sorry.

I didn’t want an offence, I didn’t want him to be limited in what God had for him. So I gave him the opportunity and I didn’t wait for him to get the conviction and come to me and repent, I decided I’m not going to wait. I agreed with my adversary quickly. I went to him and I said, "I’m sorry I made you so angry that you slapped me across the face". He said, "That’s ok", and he walked away. I said, "I’m free."

Some of you are not free. You need to get free in this area. Let me just give you another picture of the Holy Spirit. There is a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit in Genesis 9, and it talks about the Ark coming to a rest and Noah opens up the window and he lets the dove be released so that the dove can go and find a resting place. And when the dove couldn’t find a resting place it returns to Noah in the Ark. Do you remember that passage?

Genesis 8:8-9 Also he sent forh a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and took her in unto him into the ark.

Let me just talk about the dove. Do you want to be a resting place? Remember when the dove did return and he had that one olive leaf in his mouth?

Genesis 8:11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

A picture of fresh oil. I want the Holy Spirit to rest on me. I want the dove of God to rest on me with that olive leaf in His mouth.

Do you want to be a resting place for the Holy Spirit for the "dwell with you" presence? Here is a picture. The dove of God, think of a dove, think of a gentle, peaceful dove, in the natural. What happens if you make any quick move? Whoosh, he flies away. You startled the dove. Do you want to be a resting place? Do you want the Holy Ghost to rest on you with that olive leaf? Do you want to be a place for the "dwell with you" presence of God? Then stop sinning! Every time that you sin, you go whoosh, and the Holy Ghost lifts. I’m not saying He departs from you, but the manifest presence departs from you. The "with you" presence just isn’t there.

The Bible says the koinonia is; may the closeness of the Spirit be with you. I know a closeness. Do you walk with a closeness? If you want the dove to rest, don’t make any quick movement. Don’t make any quick movement to fulfil your flesh because the dove flies away and you start over. He withdraws from sin.

Jesus was completely dependent on the Holy Spirit. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, he healed all those oppressed of the devil. Jesus didn’t do any of the miracles in the ministry that He did without the Holy Spirit. But guess what? Jesus didn’t even die without the Holy Spirit. The birth of Jesus was because the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and the virgin conceived inside of her Jesus. What was conceived inside of her was through the Holy Spirit. The birth of Jesus had the Holy Spirit. The ministry of Jesus had the anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus suffered in the garden with the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t even die or rise from the dead without the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says, "He offered up through the eternal Spirit Himself." (Hebrew 9:14) He didn’t even offer Himself up without doing it through the Holy Spirit. He didn’t even rise from the grave without the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that "if the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you." (Romans 8:11) If Jesus was that dependent on the Holy Spirit, and He wasn’t born without the Holy Spirit, He didn’t minister without the Holy Spirit, He didn’t suffer without the Holy Spirit, He didn’t die without the Holy Spirit, He didn’t even come up from the grave without the Holy Spirit. What is the church doing? He was completely dependent on the Holy Spirit, and then He said in Acts 2, "You wait for the Holy Spirit. It’s to your advantage that I go. The Holy Spirit is coming."

If He put that much emphasis on the Holy Spirit, then what’s happened to the Body of Christ, friend? The only time anybody talks about the Holy Ghost is when it talks about the anointing, or the gifts of the Holy Ghost or what the Holy Ghost does. Who ever talks about this? Everyone just talks about the doing of the Holy Ghost or the works of the Holy Ghost. Nobody knows about the intimacy.

Everything Jesus did, the emphasis of the Holy Spirit is throughout His ministry. Let me just show you something here. It’s beautiful. This is just a little tidbit on the side.

Genesis 1:26 God said, let Us make man in Our image.

Who is the US? It sure sounds like there is more than one person in creation here. It says, "God said let us make man in our image", we’re talking about a couple of people up in heaven in complete unison here, in complete unity and purpose all making a decision to create man. It wasn’t just the Father. "God said" that means the Holy Spirit, the Father, and Jesus all decided at the same time, "Hey! Let us make man in our image."

Let me show it to you again. There is the Godhead. If anybody tries to tell you the Godhead isn’t there, take them right to the first book of the Bible, and show them the first chapter. Let me just show you another one. Go to Genesis 3:22—

Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold the man has become like one of Us."

Well, who is the us? We’re talking about the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Three persons. One God, One Jehovah, but three. It’s "us"

Genesis 10:7 Come, let us go down there that we may confuse their language.

Look at this, Come let "us" go down there. I mean, they are the same people. There’s three. Three in one. Do you know what happened in heaven thousands of years ago? The Father said this, "I miss the fellowship that I had with Adam and Eve. I miss being able to go down and walk in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve. I miss the intimacy and the glory that Adam and Eve and I shared. Do you know what? Now I’m angry!. And my wrath demands justice on sin because the wages of sin is death. I need something to take the payment and the atonement for these people that I want to fellowship with." Why? The wages of sin is death. "I’ve got to satisfy my holy wrath I have to have justice even at the same time that I want fellowship. But if I were to go after the fellowship right now, My fire would consume them."

Then Jesus all of a sudden stood up and He said, "Father, I’ll go. Because I love you, Father, and because I see the aching of your heart for your people. Father, I will go to the earth. I will suffer, die and become the atonement for all those people so that they can be restored into the likeness and the image of us and have that intimacy with you that you miss."

Then all of a sudden the Holy Ghost pipes up and He says, "Uh uh uh uh uh, You’re not going, Jesus unless I go.

But let me tell you something, The Father didn’t make the decision. The "Us" did. The "Us" Team had a conference and all of those ones in heaven, the "us" decided that they needed to have the fellowship with us and have us back to the place where we could taste of their glory. So the Father demanded a payment for sin, and Jesus said "I’ll pay it", and the Holy Ghost said, "Not without me". There is the Godhead.

So, the Father sent His Son, and the Holy Ghost was involved in the birth of Jesus, the ministry of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus, the suffering of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the ministry of the disciples continuing to do the works and teach what Jesus did.

I think you’re hungry. I think you want to have an encounter with the Us. I think you’re ready to say, "Holy Ghost, I don’t know you. Holy Ghost, You’ve been on my couch. I’ve shared the same bed with You. We’ve done things together in ministry. But, you know what, my relationship with my spouse has got to be more than sleeping in the same bed and one doing his duties and the other doing hers. Where is the romance? That’s not a marriage. It’s two people living together. There are a whole lot of people living with the Holy Ghost and that’s all it is. You’re living with the Holy Ghost. If you want to live with the Holy Ghost like that, that’s fine. I’m having the "dwell with you" presence.

So before we ask the Holy Spirit to fall on us and come into our lives in a way that we’ve never encountered Him, I want you to repent for every time you grieved the Holy Spirit. Say "Forgive me Holy Spirit for every time I’ve grieved you." You have tormented Him, you have wounded Him You have hurt Him, you have used the Holy Ghost. You have put Him on your couch, you have put Him on your shelf until you needed Him and then you took Him off. It’s time to say, Holy Spirit, I don’t know you. And it’s time to say, Holy Spirit I want to know you. And it’s time to say, Holy Spirit, forgive me for not knowing you as a person. Forgive me, Holy Spirit for every time my flesh has grieved you, for every time I’ve wounded you, for every time I’ve tormented you, for every time, I’m sorry for every time that I chased you away. I’m sorry for every time I have put you on my couch. I’m sorry for every time I’ve said, Come Holy Spirit into my home and then just put you in the guest room and forgot you were even there. I never served you. I never appreciated you. Holy Spirit, I’m sorry I haven’t appreciated you. I’ve used you. I’m sorry and I want you. I want you and I know you will come, Holy Spirit. And I want to have an encounter and an experience with you that goes beyond the power and beyond the gifting. I want to enter into koinonia. Holy Spirit, I want communion. I want to know your closeness. Holy Spirit, right now I want to be a partner and know a sharing and intimate bond with you. I’m sorry, Holy Spirit for every time I’ve used you. I’m sorry for every time I’ve chased you away. I’m sorry for every time I haven’t appreciated you. I love you. Holy Spirit, I’ll love you. Holy Spirit, I’ll know you, Holy Spirit, I’ll embrace you. Holy Spirit, I’ll welcome you. Holy Spirit, I’ll bless you, Holy Spirit, I’ll adore you, Holy Spirit, I’ll honor you. I’m desperate because I don’t know you.

Spirit of God, speaking in tongues isn’t enough. Prophesy isn’t enough. Holy Spirit, the anointing is not enough. Where is your closeness? Where is your closeness? Oh, Holy Spirit, where is your closeness? God, the church, we’ve put you in the pew and we’ve said, Come and serve us. Serve us.

Chorus:

Fall on me, Holy Spirit. Fall on me, Holy Spirit. Pour on me your fresh anointing. Holy Spirit fall on me.

In your presence Lord, I find the peace I need. In your Presence, Lord all fear subsides. In your presence Lord I find the joy I need, In your presence Lord my strength resides.

Fall on me, Holy Spirit, Fall on me, Holy Spirit. Pour on me your fresh anointing. Holy Spirit, fall on me.

You’re my hearts desire. You’re my destiny I belong to you for all eternity.

Fall on me, Holy Spirit, fall on me Holy Spirit. Pour on me your fresh anointing. Holy Spirit, fall on me