THE
SUPERNATURAL ENDUEMENT
The baptism of
the Holy Ghost, promised by Jesus to His believing disciples, was to endue them
with POWER FOR SERVICE. There are many works of the Holy Ghost, too numerous to
mention here. He draws the believer to God in the first place. He reveals the
Father. He develops holiness in the life of the believer. The baptism of the
Holy Ghost is to endue the believer with POWER TO WITNESS:
“And ye are
witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you
but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on
high.” Luke 24:48,49.
“But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me.” Acts 1:8a.
This power for
service takes many forms, but the form we will consider here is that revealed in
the “gifts of the Spirit” as taught by Paul in 1 Cor. 12, and illustrated in
many other passages.
“For by one
Spirit we are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 1
Cor. 12:13.
The Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost is the true and living God about whom Jesus said, "God is a
Spirit." He is the same God about whom Moses cried unto Israel, "Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God is one Lord." And this same God has come and taken up His abode
in the bosom of the believer, through the Holy Spirit. Henceforth there is an
enduement of power as promised in the Scriptures quoted above.
THE MIRACLE OF
PENTECOST!
What was the
great miracle of Pentecost? Many would reply, “The tongues! They spoke in
tongues and that was the great miracle of Pentecost!” However, this is not true.
Tongues were only the evidence of the miracle. The MIRACLE was the transformed
lives of the believers. They were clothed with supernatural POWER! They had been
“saved” long before this. (John 13:10, 11 and 15:3). They were already God’s
children, but they were helpless to witness for Christ effectively in carrying
the gospel of salvation to others in a heathen, hostile world. The powers of
Satan were arrayed against them. They faced opposition from their own religious
world and the heathen world outside was an overwhelming obstacle.
The coming of the
Holy Spirit changed everything. It met this need. They were changed by this
enduement into strong, fearless, effective witnesses for Christ. It was the
baptizing work of Jesus, immersing them into and filling them with the Spirit
Himself, that caused this transformation.
THE POWER DEMONSTRATED:
The healing power of God and the power to
witness was powerfully demonstrated in the early church. That they received
great power to
witness and unusual boldness was evidenced for instance, in the life of
Peter. He had been so fearful that he allowed a
little maid’s question to cause him to deny
the Lord, but after the great milling of Pentecost he was able to face the world
and declare that they had crucified Jesus. It was this baptism that
enabled him to say
to the man at the gate Beautiful of the temple: “Look
on us . . . Silver and gold have I
none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up
and walk.” Acts 3:4b, 6. Surely, no one could doubt
that something miraculous had
happened to Peter, and that it had changed him
completely. (Read Acts 3). It was the
mighty experience of Pentecost!
The gifts of the
Spirit were brought into evidence by the supernatural enduement and Paul states
in his letters that there are various operations of these gifts. “Now there are
diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” l Cor. 12:4.
“For to one is
given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the
same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of
healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another
prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues;
to another the interpretation of tongues:” 1 Cor. 12:8-10.
The supernatural
was so in evidence in the early church, and the people were so blessed with
these supernatural endowments, that confusion resulted in their operation,
especially in local churches. It is this confusion which Paul is seeking to
correct in 1 Cor. 12:1b when he says “I would not have you ignorant” for he is
speaking of their ignorance of the scriptural operation of the gifts. The
“ignorance” Paul had to deal with was not their lack of knowledge of the things
as a spiritual reality. He said they came behind in no gift as far as their
experience was concerned. Their need was two-fold. They had to understand that
the unity of the body of Christ demanded that they yield place to other
ministers; and they needed to understand that love must fill the hearts of those
who have “gifts” if they are to exercise them profitably. This knowledge and
understanding are badly needed today.
There is no
scriptural reason for the idea which many have, that those who had these
supernatural gifts of the Spirit were perfect models of holiness and spiritual
maturity. Many think that the mere fact that someone exercises a gift means that
he is a perfect Christian in every respect. The New Testament makes it clear
that these were weak human beings, although saved and baptized by the Holy
Ghost, they were still full of human frailty, made many mistakes, and needed
instruction in these things.
There is another
kind of ignorance which we must cope with today. It is ignorance in the church
as a whole concerning even the nature and existence of the supernatural gifts.
In addition to this, many who profess to believe in them -- even some who
exercise them -- are sometimes as faulty as were the Corinthians in their
understanding of the operation of the gifts of the
Spirit.
THE GIFTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
The great miracles, the “signs and wonders”
recorded In the Old Testament were performed by the same Spirit through the same
operations as the gifts mentioned in 1 Cor. 12. In the Old Testament, however,
this power came upon only a few from time to time. In the New Testament, the
promise is unto all that will believe for it. In the Old Testament, men
EXPERIENCED divine power; in the new dispensation of grace, they RECEIVE power.
We might say that in the old dispensation, the operation of the Spirit was
loaned to them; in this dispensation, it is a gift. In the Old Testament, the
Spirit of God operated certain ones by “remote control,” so to speak. Today, He
comes into our lives and operates from within. Many who have been studying the
lessons of this course have expressed a desire to enter into a greater anointing
to work for God and to bring deliverance and healing to others. It is for their
special benefit that this testimony is made a part of these studies.
TESTIMONY OF A.
A. ALLEN
Before I was
converted, I knew nothing about any part of the Bible. I could not even quote
John 3:16, nor name the four gospels. However, immediately after my conversion,
my heart being hungry to know all that I could know of my Lord, I began to
search the Scriptures, asking God to lead me to those readings from which I
would receive the greatest benefit. The Lord began to reveal to me the truths of
the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the signs following, the gifts of the Spirit, and
the supernatural things of God.
It was not long
until God led me into a Pentecostal church, where I began to see in a small
measure the blessings of God, and a few of the manifestations of the Spirit. It
was in these meetings that I became convinced that I needed the baptism of the
Spirit, and there I began to pray and seek God for that experience. Thirty days
after my conversion, I was gloriously filled with the Holy Ghosts speaking in
other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. I had read that “ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:” Acts 1:8. I fully expected
that the infilling of the Holy Ghost would immediately give me the power to heal
the sick and to perform miracles. It did not take me long to realize that more
was required than the baptism of the Holy Ghost, in order to consistently see
these results.
The baptism of
the Spirit provides access to this power, but the gifts of the Spirit provide
the channels through which this power operates. I began immediately to pray and
seek the gifts of the Spirit. I felt I must have power to heal the sick, for I
knew that according to the Scriptures, God never called anyone to preach the
Gospel without commissioning him also to heal the sick. Two years after my
conversion, I began my ministry.
For more than a
year, in every revival meeting, I always planned at least two nights in each
week to be set aside to preach divine healing and to pray for the sick. During
this time, we saw a large number of miraculous healings, for God honored the
preaching of His Word. But I knew it was far short of what I should be seeing. I
knew that God’s plan included greater things for me, and I believed that there
would be a time in the future when they would be a reality in my life. Many
times, I would search the Scriptures, becoming more convinced as I did so that
God’s promises concerning the signs following, the gifts of the Spirit,
healings, and miracles were meant for me today.
It was plain to
see that God had promised these things to me as His minister but it was also
plain to see that I did not possess that power in the fullness that God had
promised. I knew there must be a scriptural reason why I was so lacking in
power. Since God cannot lie, the fault had to be WITHIN MY OWN LIFE!
It was while
pastoring my first church that I definitely made up my mind that I MUST from
heaven, and know the reason that my ministry was not confirmed by signs and
wonders. I felt sure that if I would fast and pray, God would in some way speak
to me and reveal what stood between me and the miracle-working power of God in
my ministry. I was so hungry for the power of God in my own life that I felt I
could not stand in my pulpit, nor ever preach again, until I had heard from God.
I made up my mind that I would fast and pray until I heard from God.
It was then that
I had the greatest battle of my life. Satan was determined that I should NOT
fast and pray until God answered. Many times he whipped me or tricked me out of
the prayer closet. Satan knew that if I ever actually contacted God, there would
be much damage to his kingdom, and he meant do all in his power to hinder me
from making that contact. Day after day, I went into the prayer closet,
determined to stay until God spoke to me. Again and again, I came out without
the answer. It seemed there was always a reason why I could not stay in that
closet until the answer came. I always justified myself by saying I would pray
it through tomorrow. Things would be more favorable then. The Lord encouraged my
heart by calling to my remembrance how Daniel held on in fasting and prayer, and
wrested the answer from the hands of Satan, although it took three weeks to do
so. (See Daniel 10:1-12).
The next day
found me on my knees in the closet again. I had made up my mind I would never
come out until I heard from God. I really thought I meant it. A few hours later,
when I began to smell the odor of food from the kitchen, I was soon out of the
closet and in the kitchen. A few moments later, while I was at the table, God
spoke to my heart. I had only taken one bite of food and I stopped. God had
spoken to me. I knew that UNTIL I WANTED TO HEAR FROM GOD MORE THAN ANYTHING
ELSE IN THE WORLD, more than food, more than the gratification of the flesh, GOD
WOULD NEVER GIVE ME THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION THAT WAS IN MY HEART!
I arose quickly
from the table. I meant business with God this time! I went back into that
closet. I was going to stay there until I heard from God. At last, I had
definitely made up my mind to stay there until I heard from God, no matter what
the cost. Hour after hour, I battled the devil and the flesh in the closet! Many
were the times I almost gave up. It seemed to me that hours were slipping by and
my progress was so slow. Many times I was tempted to give up, and try to be
satisfied, but I had tried that, and found that it was not enough. No! I would
stay right here on my knees until God answered, or I would die in the attempt.
Then the glory of
God began to fill the closet. I thought the door had opened, as the interior of
the closet began to grow light. The door had NOT opened, but Jesus had opened
the door of heaven and the closet was flooded with light -- THE LIGHT OF THE
GLORY OF GOD! I do not know how long I had spent in the closet before this
happened, but it does not matter. I do not care to know. I only know I prayed
UNTIL!
The presence of
God was so real, so wonderful, and so powerful that I felt I would die right
there on my knees. It seemed that if God came any closer I could not stand it.
Yet I wanted it, and was determined to have it. Was this my answer? Was God
going to speak to me? Would God, at last, after these many years, satisfy my
longing heart? How long had I been here? I didn’t know. I seemed to lose
consciousness of everything but the mighty presence of God. I tried to see Him,
and then was afraid that I would, for suddenly I realized that should I see Him,
I would die. (Ex. 33:20). Just His glorious presence was enough. If only He
would speak to me now! If he would just answer my one question, “Lord why can’t
I heal the sick? Why cannot I work miracles in Your name? Why do the signs not
follow my ministry as they- did that of Peter, John, and Paul?
Then, like a
whirlwind, I heard His voice! It was God! He was speaking to me! This was the
glorious answer for which I had waited so long! In His presence I felt like one
of the small pebbles at the foot of the towering Rockies. I felt I was unworthy
even to hear His voice, but He was not speaking to me because I was WORTHY. He
was speaking to me because I was NEEDY. Centuries ago, He had promised to supply
that need. This was the fulfillment of that promise. It seemed that faster than
any human could possibly speak, faster than I could follow mentally, God was
talking to me. My heart cried out, “Speak a little more slowly. I want to
remember all of it.” It seemed God was speaking to me so fast, and of so many
things I could never remember all of it. Yet I knew I could never forget! God
was giving me a mental list of the things that stood between me and the power of
God. After each new requirement was added to the list in my mind, there followed
a brief explanation, or sermonette, explaining that requirement and its
importance. Some of the things God spoke to me sounded like Scripture. I knew
some of them were, but those first three; could they be Bible?
If I had known
there were so many things to remember, I would have brought a pencil and paper!
I hadn’t expected that God would speak in such a definite way and give me such a
long list. I had never dreamed that I was falling so far short of the glory of
God. I hadn’t realized there were so many things in my life that generated doubt
and hindered my faith. While God continued to speak to me, I began to feel for a
pencil in my pockets. At last I located a short pencil, but the lead was broken.
Quickly I sharpened it. I searched for a piece of paper. I couldn’t find any.
Suddenly I remembered the cardboard box filled with winter clothes that I was
using for an altar. I would write on the box. Now I was ready!
I asked the Lord
to please start all over again at the beginning, and let me write the things
down one at a time, so I would not forget. I asked Him to speak slowly enough so
that I could set it all on paper. This time God started again at the first, and
spoke to me, one after another, the many things He had already mentioned. As God
spoke to me, I wrote them down. When the last thing was written on the list, God
spoke once again, and said, “This is the answer. When you have placed on the
altar of consecration and obedience the last thing on your list, YE SHALL NOT
ONLY HEAL THE SICK, BUT IN MY NAME YE SHALL CAST OUT DEVILS. YE SHALL SEE MIGHTY
MIRACLES AS IN MY NAME YE PREACH THE WORD. FOR BEHOLD I GIVE YOU POWER OVER ALL
THE POWER OF THE ENEMY." God revealed to me at the same time that the things
that were hindrances to my ministry, and had prevented God working with me,
confirming the Word with signs following, were the very same things which are
hindering so many thousands of others.
Now it began to
grow darker in the closet. I felt His mighty power begin to lift. For a few more
moments His presence lingered and then I was alone. Alone, and yet not alone. I
trembled under the mighty lingering presence of God. I fumbled at the bottom of
the cardboard box on which I had been writing. In the dark I tore the part on
which I had written from the box. In my hand I held the list. At last there was
the price I must pay for the power of God in my life and ministry. The price tag
for the MIRACLE-WORKING POWER OF GOD!
In my hand was the old brown piece of cardboard with the answer that had cost so many hours of fasting and prayer, and waiting and believing! I sat down at the table with the list before me, and wept as I went down the list. There were thirteen items on the list when I came out of the closet, but I erased the last two. No one will ever know what they were. These things MUST remain between God and me.
Since God spoke
to me that day in the closet, many pages have been torn from the calendar. In
fact, many calendars have been replaced by new ones. One by one, I began to mark
the requirements from my list. The list grew smaller and smaller, as one by one
I shouted the victory over Satan, and marked off another! Finally, I was down to
the last two. Satan said to me, “You’ve marked off eleven of your items, but
there are two you’ll never mark off! I’ve got you whipped!” By the grace of God,
I told the devil he was a liar. If God asked me to mark them all off and said I
could do so, He would help me to do it! Yet it seemed I would never be able to
mark off the last two. Never will I forget the day I looked over my list and
found, praise God, there was only one thing left! If I could mark that off, I
could claim the promise that God had made to me. I had to claim that promise!
Millions were sick and afflicted, beyond the help of medical science. Someone
MUST bring deliverance to them. God had called me to take that deliverance to
the people. GOD HAS CALLED EVERY MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL TO DO THE SAME. (Ezek.
34:1-4).
Many had been the times when God had poured out His spir1t in my meetings in a measure, as I traveled across the states. However, I knew that when I had marked the last item from my list, I would see such miracles as I had never seen before. In the meantime, I would patiently strive toward victory, trusting God to help me until victory came. Trusting that when that victory was mine, God would be glorified, and others, too, would be encouraged to seek God for His power.
Then came the day
when such MIRACLES were manifested -- such as had never before been in my
ministry! THE SICK WERE HEALED, DEVILS WERE CAST OUT, MIGHTY MIRACLES WERE SEEN
IN THE NAME OF JESUS AS HIS WORD WAS PREACHED. I had crossed the last item off
that list! Hallelujah!
Many people will
never forget the campaign that was declared to be the greatest REVIAL in the
history of Oakland, California -- a “BACK TO GOD REVIVAL.” Hundreds declared
they had never witnessed such a dynamic moving of the power of God. The meeting
continued for many weeks, and from the growing interest and increasing
attendance, could, no doubt, have continued indefinitely. Night after night,
waves of DIVINE GLORY so swept over the congregation that many testified of
being healed while sitting in their seats. Again and again we felt the mighty
power of God settling over the services and people arose to testify of instant
healings, some that were visibly miraculous, such as outward tumors
disappearing. Goiters left at the touch of my hand in Jesus’ name. Cataracts
vanished.
In one instance, we prayed for a woman with throat trouble. After a few moments, she was seen hurrying to the ladies’ rest room. When she returned to the auditorium, she testified that after prayer, something came loose in her’ throat and came up into her mouth. She had hurried to the rest room to dispose of it. It was some kind of foreign growth (doubtless cancer) whitish orange in color.
Ruptures as large
as a person’s fist disappeared over night. Cancer, deafness, tumors, sugar
diabetes, every known disease and many unknown, disappeared as in the name of
Jesus we laid hands upon the sick. Genuine healings were proved, in many cases,
by doctors’ statements and X-rays. We stood in holy awe and marveled at the
miracle-working power of God as it moved night after night from the very
beginning of that campaign. Hundreds were delivered from the power of the enemy
— saved, or filled with the Spirit. Eternity alone will reveal the number.
It was impossible
to have, what is generally termed, a “healing line”. At least ninety percent of
those upon whom we laid bands were prostrated wider the mighty power of God.
Some danced a few steps or staggered drunkenly under the Spirit before they
fell. (See Jer. 23:9). Under such circumstances, it was impossible to have the
people move on after prayer. About all we could do was to lead the person who
was to receive healing to a place where there was no one lying on the floor, and
then pray for him. Some might brand this fanaticism, but it is not. It is the
mighty power of God. It is the same miraculous power that caused John to fall
“at his feet as dead.” Rev. 1:17. The most outstanding feature of that campaign
was that such a large
After the sermon,
all that had not already been filled during the service came down the outside
aisle in a line. With but few exceptions, everyone we touched in the name of
Jesus fell prostrate. What an unusual sight to stand on the platform afterwards,
and look upon the many “slain of the Lord” in every available altar space and
even in the aisles! Sweeter yet, the sound of the heavenly music of voices
raised in united praise to God, as the Spirit-filled obedient believers and
seekers began to speak in new tongues and magnify God. (Mark 16:17 and Acts
10:46).
God is moving
today in the very same manner, and He is manifesting His presence, performing
glorious miracles of deliverance in our Miracle Revivals throughout the nation,
performing great signs and wonders in the mighty name of Jesus.
