What if the Elohim is not going to “do anything” on the earth for us? What if he gave us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Elohim, to get things done on the earth through us? What if we have everything we need to change the trajectory of the spiritual climate of humanity? And what if the Elohim is waiting for us to move, but we have been deceived into believing we have to sit and wait for Yahweh Elohim to call us home then clean the earth. What if we have been deceived into thinking there is nothing we can do? What if the remedy to humanity’s ills resides within us? Isn’t this why the first century church received the Holy Spirit and operated the gifts of the Spirit? What if we are the people we are waiting for?
“I wonder if people who asked for God to intervene in our world, really know what they are asking. Will they want to be there when God really does intervene?” – C. S. Lewis
We have talked previously about Elijah, how far he ran to meet with Yahweh Elohim. When he finally had the face to face meeting with Yahweh, Elijah hid his face. All of us do this. We cannot wait to meet Jesus in the air, but really, won’t we be like Elijah, won’t we be scared? We beg and beg Yahweh Elohim to do something on the earth because evil is so rampant, but do we really want to be here when he does intervene? If we are here, on the earth, on the Day of the Lord, then we did something wrong. If we are on the earth on the Day of the Lord then we missed Jesus in the air. However, If we are with him when he comes on the Day of the Lord, then we are in the right place. We are where we should be. The Holy Spirit is already here on the earth, with us and in us. We are sealed for the Day of Redemption. The Holy Spirit was sent to us. Jesus says it is more beneficial that he leave so that the Holy Spirit can come. The Holy Spirit can do miracles on the earth through us. We do not need to wait we just need to ask.
There are many factions in Christianity that reject the Holy Spirit, reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. People may actually be blaspheming the Holy Spirit by their vehement objections to the work of the Holy Spirit. This is unforgivable. Jesus tells us it is an unforgivable sin. This does not mean that one is not saved for the day of redemption, but it does mean that this sin will stay with them in heaven, as not forgiven.
Matthew 12:31 G1223 On account of G3778 this G3004 I say G1473 to you, G3956 Every G266 sin G2532 and G988 blasphemy G863 shall be forgiven G3588 to the G444 men; G3588 but the G3588 [2of the G4151 3spirit G988 1blasphemy] G3756 shall not G863 be forgiven G3588 to the G444 men.
32 G2532 And G3739 whoever G1437 G2036 should say G3056 a word G2596 against G3588 the G5207 son G3588 G444 of man, G863 it shall be forgiven G1473 him; G3739 but the one who G1161 G302 should G2036 speak G2596 against G3588 the G4151 [2spirit G3588 G39 1holy], G3756 it shall not G863 be forgiven G1473 him, G3777 neither G1722 in G3588 the G3568 present G165 eon, G3777 nor G1722 in G3588 the one G3195 about to be.
“By means of this I say you all sin and profane speech (vilification) released the manfaced, the the Spirit profane speech (vilification) not released the manfaced, and that if say logos downward the Son the manfaced released him but that say downward the Spirit the Holy not released him, and not in the present time age and not in the about to be.”
This is a scary prospect. We do not understand not being forgiven because the entire Christian message is that we are forgiven of our sins, but this is is an unforgivable sin. What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is vilifying the Holy Spirit. Speaking downward or against the Holy Spirit. Imagine living in the next age and being in the Kingdom of Heaven, and not being released from this sin. We do not know how we can atone for this sin after we die so we have to atone for this sin while we are alive. Not everyone will have to atone for vilifying the Holy Spirit because many believe on the Holy Spirit but there are factions and fractions in the Body of Christ that will have an unreleased sin in the next age. I don’t want to be one of those people, do you? Of course not. How can we look Jesus in the eye, face to face, with an un-pardoned sin against the one He sent to us.
On the earth we are not left alone and we are not comfortless. We have a teacher. When we cry out to the Elohim to do something on the earth we already have the Elohim here, the Holy Spirit. We humans need a team effort to be redeemed. We want to look at the context of what Jesus was saying right before he told us about being unforgiven for speaking against the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 12:24 But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, This Man drives out demons only by and with the help of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.
25 And knowing their thoughts, He said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand.
26 And if Satan drives out Satan, he has become divided against himself and disunified; how then will his kingdom last or continue to stand?
27 And if I drive out the demons by [help of] Beelzebub, by whose [help] do your sons drive them out? For this reason they shall be your judges.
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it].
29 Or how can a person go into a strong man’s house and carry off his goods (the entire equipment of his house) without first binding the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
30 He who is not with Me [definitely on My side] is against Me, and he who does not [definitely] gather with Me and for My side scatters.
The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Mt 12:24–30.
Jesus is talking about a divided kingdom. The Pharisees were saying that Jesus was driving out demons with the prince of demons, Beelzebub. He was not. Beelzebub would not drive out demons from Satanas’ kingdom. That would be silly. Beelzebub is the gatekeeper of Hades. He wants to fill up Hades, not empty it. Furthermore why would Satanas allow one of his princes to expel demons from humans? He wouldn’t.
The Pharisees are being insulting in their attempt to vilify Jesus. Jesus then explains that Satanas’ kingdom, if it were divided, would not stand. Interesting. If Satanas’ kingdom were divided then it would not stand. How divided is the Body of Christ on the earth? How many denominations, and religious orders, and ministries, are there that are divided against one another? There are all kinds of divisions of Christianity on the earth, but in heaven there will only be one kingdom with one king. In this we see the problem that we looked at last week, with so many different groups of people having opinions about how to run Christianity. It is the same today. This is why we see Christianity shrinking, losing people at times, then a revival and Christianity grows. But eventually it shrinks once again. There are too many divisions and the subject of the Holy Spirit is one of those points of contention.
Now just to make mention, Jesus doesn’t need any help driving out demons. He does not need the prince of demons to lend a hand. The Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of driving out demons today through each one of us. This is part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry as noted by Jesus, a paraklētos, a comforter, succorer, one who gives aid and assistance. The Holy Spirit will also act as a defense attorney and a prosecuting attorney on our behalf. The Holy Spirit also gives us gifts, or pneumatikos and charisma. Now with this in mind read Jesus’ words.
Matthew 12:31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy (every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things) can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit shall not and cannot be forgiven.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven, either in this world and age or in the world and age to come.
The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Mt 12:31–32.
Jesus said it was profitable or expedient, or advantageous, sumpherō, for him to leave, otherwise the Holy Spirit would not come. People think that if Jesus was on the earth today then things would be great, but instead Jesus is telling us that it is actually better that the Holy Spirit is here with us because the Holy Spirit is with and in all of us at the same time. Jesus was only in one place at a time. Knowing this, if one speaks badly about the Holy Spirit, by saying the Holy Spirit is not necessary for us today, or saying that a miracle was a fake miracle done by demons, or claims we don’t need the gifts of the Spirit, which include casting out demons, healing, and miracles, that one is blaspheming. The fact that the Holy Spirit gives all of us the ability to do these things rather than just one person is a benefit to the world. We all bring the power of the Elohim to people wherever we go.
Instead of looking at the day of Pentecost or at the house of Cornelius, we can learn some things by looking at Apollos, Paul, and the believers at Ephesus. We may have mistakenly thought that Apollos was teaching the church at Ephesus, but he was not. He was teaching and debating the Jews in the synagogue regarding Jesus being the Messiah. There was no “church” or “church building” at the time that Apollos visited Ephesus. One of the things that was taking place at this time was that the apostles and disciples were going into synagogues to preach Jesus Messiah from scriptures. Ephesus had some disciples but there was no church building there and the disciples were not meeting in homes either.
Apollos was a Therapeutae, from Alexandria Egypt. The Therapeutaes were a holy commune of believing Jews who heard that the Messiah had come. They were of the same order as the Damascus Community, the Essenes, Nazarenes, Assideans, and the Zedeks/Zadok priests. The Therapeutaes made large clay jugs for wine that could be sealed and not opened without breaking the seal. Sailors used to open and drink the wine on the ships as they transported wine jugs. They then watered down the wine. The Therapeutaes invented jugs that sealed and could not be tampered with without them knowing. These are the same jugs that were found with the scrolls in caves at Qumran. Apollos was highly educated in scripture. He was preaching that Jesus is the Messiah in the synagogue.
Acts 18:24 Meanwhile, there was a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, who came to Ephesus. He was a cultured and eloquent man, well versed and mighty in the Scriptures.
25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and burning with spiritual zeal, he spoke and taught diligently and accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he was acquainted only with the baptism of John.
26 He began to speak freely (fearlessly and boldly) in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him with them and expounded to him the way of God more definitely and accurately.
27 And when [Apollos] wished to cross to Achaia (most of Greece), the brethren wrote to the disciples there, urging and encouraging them to accept and welcome him heartily. When he arrived, he proved a great help to those who through grace (God’s unmerited favor and mercy) had believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ as Lord and Savior).
28 For with great power he refuted the Jews in public [discussions], showing and proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah).
Apollos went to Ephesus, preaching in the synagogue there. He learned about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit from Priscilla and Aquila. John’s baptism was for repentance, to prepare people for Jesus. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not for repentance it is for power, and sealing. Priscilla and Aquila both realized that they could teach Apollos this important new thing. They probably just invited him to dinner and explained the way of the Elohim akribōs, exactly, perfectly and diligently. After dinner Apollos then knew how to baptize people in the Holy Spirit but no one was getting baptized in the synagogue.
Apollos himself would have already been Spirit filled, as it doesn’t say he himself received the Holy Spirit. This is important to understand. The Therapeutaes were Spirit filled. They were like the Charismatic church today. They held vibrant praise and worship and healing services, with dancing and miracles. Apollos simply didn’t know that he could lay hands on people for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Where he was from they all received the Holy Spirit like those at Cornelius’ house; the Holy Spirit was simply invited in and everyone received. There were no “new” converts in their community. However anyone visiting who was not spirit filled when they arrived would have been Spirit filled by the time they left because everyone was Spirit filled there.
There were no happy clappy, dancing, praise and worship services among the new believers in Ephesus because they were being schooled in synagogues. Many of the people who were now Christians still attended the synagogues. We could all imagine what would happen if Apollos plugged in his electric guitar and expected people to dance in the synagogue. Apollos then went to the Greek regions and sparred with the Jews over Jesus being the Messiah. Apollos was a great guy and he was willing to learn how to bring people the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul however started something a bit different, he laid his hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit when they believed on Jesus as Messiah and believed that Jesus rose up on the third day.
Acts 19:1 WHILE APOLLOS was in Corinth, Paul went through the upper inland districts and came down to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.
2 And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
3 And he asked, Into what [baptism] then were you baptized? They said, Into John’s baptism.
Paul wasn’t looking for errors in people’s faith. He simply noticed that they weren’t operating the gifts of the Spirit. We should notice those things too. The people had a baptism of repentance, like most churches today. There is an obvious difference when the church has a doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. There is healing ministry taking place, prophecy, knowledge, and wisdom. These are obvious differences as compared to a non-Spirit filled church. Paul was expecting that all the new converts were receiving the Holy Spirit. Yet here the believers were not meeting in homes yet. So where would they learn about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Apollos hadn’t establish the church at Ephesus, neither had Paul. The Christians there were disciples of John the Baptist, who himself had been an Essene, having completed Essene schooling in the desert. The order of these holy people, the Essenes, Nazarenes, Therapeutaes, the Damascus Community, and the Zedek/Zadok priests were like many denominations today. They were spread out over many miles. They had a school for their boys starting at age 16-20. There was a college level from the age of 20-30, if one so chose. Their school and their education lasted a total of fourteen years, as John and Jesus attended, and as Paul spent fourteen years in the desert school. Apollos received his education in the scriptures with the Essenes as well, which is why verse 24 and 25 says that he was a cultured and eloquent man, well versed and mighty in the Scriptures and that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and burning with spiritual zeal, he spoke and taught diligently and accurately the things concerning Jesus. Apollos probably attended Essene school before Paul, around the time that Paul was persecuting the church. These holy, highly educated believers, traveled among themselves and were communal in their living. Their communities were established after the defilement of the High Priesthood at the time of the Maccabees. These people were living in many cities around the region.
The disciples at Ephesus believed Jesus was the Messiah. Priscilla and Aquila showed up in Ephesus with Holy Spirit knowledge they may have gained from Paul when they met Paul in Corinth, Acts 18:2, and later traveled together to Syria. Priscilla and Aquila went to Ephesus ahead of Paul. They taught the baptism of the Holy Spirit wherever they went, so they taught the main teacher, Apollos. Why then did these particular disciples not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit? No one was receiving the Holy Spirit in the synagogues, the Jews would have mobbed and stoned them. They did not have their own church venue yet either. Remember, Apollos was teaching that Jesus is the Messiah in the synagogue. If people were to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit they had to learn and receive it somewhere else, apart from the synagogue, such as in a home group. We tend to think that Paul was talking to the whole church but it was only twelve disciples.
Acts 19:4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, continually telling the people that they should believe in the One Who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus [having a conviction full of joyful trust that He is Christ, the Messiah, and being obedient to Him].
5 On hearing this they were baptized [again, this time] in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve of them in all.
Once the twelve understood that they could be baptized in the name of Yahweh Jesus, they were. They wanted whatever the Holy Spirit could give them. When Paul laid his hands on them they spoke in unacquired languages and prophesied. On Pentecost the disciples spoke in unacquired languages when the Holy Spirit came upon them. At Cornelius’ house the Holy Spirit fell on all of them just by Peter preaching. Here we do not see Paul praying or doing anything other than laying hands on them. Is laying hands on people required? No. Paul was simply led to do this for the twelve disciples. Now notice what happens to Paul.
Acts 18:8 And he went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, persuading and arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some became more and more stubborn (hardened and unbelieving), discrediting and reviling and speaking evil of the Way [of the Lord] before the congregation, he separated himself from them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holding daily discussions in the lecture room of Tyrannus from about ten o’clock till three.
After three months of preaching in the synagogue many of the Jews were not coming to Jesus but were instead rejecting Jesus as Messiah. Paul booked a lecture room in Tyrannus. Tyrannus was a Greek teacher and philosopher who had a lecture hall which he himself used. Paul and the disciples used that lecture hall for five hours a day which meant the other non-Jewish ethnic races would have come to listen. Non-Jews did not go to the synagogues to learn about Jesus but they might have gone to hear the scriptures read. Here in a Greek lecture hall, people would have freely stopped by to learn about Jesus the Messiah. This was probably not a college lecture hall like today, but an open air platform with a roof where people could sit and learn. The Greeks loved their open air teaching facilities for discussion and philosophical debates. This is the start of the church at Ephesus. It was separated from the synagogue and was now branching out on its own.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit has to move people out of where they are so that they can receive more of what is available to every believer. There are many churches that reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit or the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and even reject the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are given this power of the Holy Spirit inside us to be able to minister to others. Notice what happened at the school of Tyrannus.
Acts 19:10 This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of [the province of] Asia, Jews as well as Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].
11 And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Ac 18:24–19:12.
Firstly, all the inhabitants of Asia heard about Jesus the Messiah! How could they hear? Because there were no walls. As people traveled through the region they could hear what was being taught. The Elohim, the Holy Spirit, did dunamis power miracles via Paul’s hands. The Holy Spirit released dunamis, inherent power, through Paul. Isn’t that what should be happening today? Aren’t we partnering with the Holy Spirit like Paul did? People born as invalids were healed by dunamis power that came from Paul onto scarfs and aprons. Evil spirits left the sick when the people touched a towel that Paul had touched. This happened after they left the synagogues and went to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. The Holy Spirit knew people needed healing and used Paul’s hand to bring it to them. This is why Ephesus’ first love was Jesus Messiah and the Holy Spirit. This is why the church grew, due to partnering with the Holy Spirit. Eventually Satanas burdened the church with the “work” of the church, the work of the ministry”. But if we come back to our first love and we partner with the Holy Spirit then our efforts will be easy.
The miracles that Paul did are not towel or handkerchief miracles in that we need those items to transfer the power of the Holy Spirit. They were simply something that people could relate to, a prayer cloth for someone who could not get to the lecture hall at Tyrannus. This does not mean that we are all supposed to gather cloth items for the sick unless we are told to do so by the Holy Spirit.
Today we can pray for the sick over the phone, or have a web meeting and see and hear each other. The Holy Spirit is on the earth for our benefit and for the benefit for the unsaved. This is why blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an unpardonable sin. This is why people will not be released from this sin of vilifying the Holy Spirit. We might have an emotional attachment to a church or the people we know in a church and we can continue attending that church even if they are not spirit filled. However we want to learn and grow in the Holy Spirit. We can do that on our own. There are many Spirit filled Baptists, Spirit filled Catholics, and Spirit filled Protestants. We can be Spirit filled at the same time we attend our non-Spirit filled church. We simply need to dedicate time to learn and grow apart from the non-Spirit filled people. This is how the church at Ephesus started. They were in the synagogues and were believing that Jesus is the Messiah. Apostles were teaching Jesus is the Messiah in the synagogues. But then Paul rented a lecture hall and people went there to learn as well. This lasted two years until the church was established in Ephesus. We do not want to be in the position of blaspheming the Holy Spirit and we certainly do not want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, or the Millennial Kingdom, with an unforgiven sin. This being the case, seek the Spirit of the Elohim.
