Let us fervently seek the true baptism in the Holy Spirit, so as to be cleansed and to be made like Jesus

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In the same way, beloved, we need to seek the presence of the Holy Spirit before we come to a prayer meeting, a teaching session, before coming together for a time of worship. Before a meeting, we should not say to ourselves : "Iím going there in order to be filled". Donít misunderstand me : in the course of a meeting, one may well be filled to overflowing with good things, but that is not the best way. The best way is to pray beforehand, to be ready beforehand, to be filled beforehand, and to arrive at the meeting with a glowing heart, ready to receive more or to give out all that we have already received from the Lord. If we all do that, how wonderfully we are all going to be blessed ! We shall no longer attend meetings merely to receive, but having been filled before we get there, we shall come laden with good things from the Lord that will bless our brothers and sisters. If they, too, come in that same Spirit, I will be blessed as well, because the Lord doesnít want it to be always the same ones who seek to get filled for the benefit of those who are always on the receiving end. Giving out, of course, doesnít mean that you end up empty, because it is from the Lord that we receive, but what a blessing it is for each and every one of us to receive from others what God has given them. We are a body : so we need to exercise the gifts God has granted us, so that the whole body will be built up. Therefore we need to prepare before we meet. Let us come to our meetings that way. Let us prepare even better than we have done so far, no matter what kind of meeting we attend : let us go there already filled, then pour out into the meeting what God has given us. Whatís more, we shall be much better prepared, spiritually, to receive whatever God wishes to give us during that meeting Hallelujah !

 

Let us read on, from verse 43 : "And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles." Why ? Because they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesusí own Life had entered into them ; Jesus was manifesting Himself through them, working wonders and healings and miraculous signs. Indeed, Jesus was alive right inside them ! Jesus was using their hands, their bodies, their voices, and all that was within them to do His work, to continue His work.

 

I want Jesus to use me, to use my heart, my body, my mouth, my lips, my hands, my eyes, and my whole being, in order to do His work. I say to Him : "Lord, I know that You are alive within me, but I want You to be able to manifest Yourself fully and freely through my body which is Your temple ; I want You to use my soul and my spirit to bless this dying world and also Your Church, which needs You so much. I want You to use me to win souls to You, to build up Your Church and to bring glory to Your Name. Fill me with Your Spirit, Lord, with still more of Your Spirit."

 

The way they lived, day after day, bears witness to their being filled with the Holy Spirit. Verse 44 tells us that : "All the believers were together and had all things in common". Three thousand of them had been converted : thatís no mere handful, itís enough to populate a nice little town ! Well, they were scattered throughout the city of Jerusalem, in their houses, but they kept coming together, because they enjoyed the presence of the Lord in their brothers and sisters. When they had fellowship with each other, they were built up in wonderful ways, because they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

What an ordeal it is to be with a brother or a sister who lives entirely in the flesh and who is not at all Spirit-filled ! Far from enjoying the kind of fellowship that builds you up, you soon get worn out ! But the company of those who are filled with the Holy Spirit is like heaven on earth ! In a home, when both husband and wife are filled with the Holy Spirit, their coming together is heaven on earth ! When they see each other, when they pray together, they are in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. There are no longer any quarrels, any splits, any antagonisms, any crises. Both hearts have been filled with the Holy Spirit. That is also true of brothers and sisters who are together. And those early believers had "all things in common" ! They had got rid of the notion : "Hey, thatís mine ! Donít you take that, it belongs to me !" Remember the sermon on the Mount : "If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." (Matthew 5:40). "Rather let your brother defraud you, instead of taking him to court," said Paul. Let him go ahead and cheat you ; you will receive far, far more, up there in heaven. Let him cheat you ! Let him !

 

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