Jerusalem

Stay in Jerusalem

“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
  Luke 24:49      

To remain in Jerusalem was an imposition of the Lord Jesus. He knew that would be impossible for His disciple to remain in His presence without the Holy Spirit.

Everything that the Lord Jesus did was in the City of Jerusalem, all of His ministry developed there. The life of Abraham with God also stared when he took his son Isaac to be offered as a burnt sacrifice on Mount Moriah, which is in Jerusalem. For this and many other reasons, the Lord Jesus commanded them to remain in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit.

Everything the Lord Jesus did was under the control and the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who resurrected Him.

When Jesus determined that they should stay in Jerusalem, there were 500 people, but only 120 were baptized with the Holy Spirit.  This was because they were the ones who paid the price and sacrificed their all in obedience to the voice of God. To stay in Jerusalem means to forget about anything else and think about the Holy Spirit 24/7 until He enters your life.

Pay the price

And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out”. But the wise answered, saying, “No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves”. Matthew 25.8-9

The wise virgins told the foolish virgins to go buy their own oil. When the Bible speaks of the oil, it refers to the Holy Spirit. You may ask, “But, how is it possible to buy the Holy Spirit?”

Jesus is referring to a person having to pay the price, which means denying their will, obeying the Word of God, being faithful, sacrificing and keeping constant watch.

All those who truly want the presence of God should be aware that there is a price to pay. The wise virgins, certainly, paid the price (sacrificed) with the time they waited for the bridegroom. Surely, they prepared themselves by investing in their spiritual lives through prayer, fasts, consecration and surrender, not allowing the light of the Spirit to burn out.

On the other hand, there are those who aren’t willing to pay that price. They live according to their fleshly desires, refuse to stop living in sin, are in the church but far from God, have the lamp, which is faith, but don’t have the oil, which is the Holy Spirit.

Their only concern is to resolve their problems, not that it is wrong to fight for miracles, but we need to understand that God’s presence in our lives is more important than any material blessing.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” But he answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you”. Matthew 25.10-12

My friends, either we pay the price for our Salvation now, or it will be too late, and we are the ones who decide, not the Bridegroom.

All the virgins had the same opportunity, but it was too late for the foolish virgins because they were distracted, careless.

Do not let this happen to you, be alert, be willing to pay the price, because the reward is definitely worth it!

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time; because the days are evil. Ephesians 5.15-16

Why don't some people receive the Holy Spirit?

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem you are endued with power from on high. Luke 24.49

Here is the answer to why many do not receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

1. Jesus left His Inheritance for His disciples;

2. However, the possession of this inheritance required them to “wait in Jerusalem”;

3. Waiting in Jerusalem meant believing in the Promise, even during the persecutions that existed at the time.

This means: if they wanted to receive the Inheritance, they would have to endure persecution and not run away from it. Also, this meant they would need to forget their momentary needs and NOT THINK about anything else except receiving the Blessed Inheritance – the Holy Spirit.

They could have waited for the Inheritance at home, away from Jerusalem. But the Lord made sure to reward them specifically during the peak of the persecution;

4. The faithful should do their part by waiting in Jerusalem and wait to receive the Promise. This is faith! Because of this, they can and should CHARGE God their rights to the Inheritance;

5. The Lord will fulfill His part by coming upon you… so you can serve as a witness.

You may even say, “Lord, I did my part, but You have not done Yours.”

Is there faith in you for this?

And… He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father… Acts 1.4

…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me… to the end of the earth. Acts 1.8

The Vine and the Fruit.

The vine and the fruit

 The Holy Spirit came to replace His Son Jesus, and give continuation to His Work. To glorify Him in such way that the active ministry of the Lord Jesus is the same as the Holy Spirit’s.

Therefore, he who desires to be used by the Holy Spirit should live a life separated for Him and stay in communion with Him daily. It is obvious that all His servants should be filled with His presence because they will receive the power that will identify them as the true servants of God. This separates them from this world.

All those who are born of the Spirit of God have the supernatural faith within them. They become the proper blessing, the fountain of living water that springs up wherever they go. Their lamps never go out because they are always searching for the things that come from above. 

Their spirit is connected with God all the time and they naturally bear fruit.

On the other hand, he who has this power within himself but does not exercise it, he can be inserted in the following word of the Lord Jesus, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15.1,2

With this word we can understand that we were inserted in the true vine and we are its branches. The vitality that comes from the principal root flows within us, it means, the power of the Spirit of God in us! 

The same spirit that anointed the Lord Jesus has anointed His followers with. If the branches do not bear the fruit that the farmer expects, then they will be cut off and removed. This is so others may be born in their respective places and bear fruits.

Be abundantly blessed.

A Soul is priceless

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?" Luke 15.8

1 - Light a lamp

2 - Sweep the house

3 - Search carefully until find it

Dear reader, how much would you pay for a soul? Or how much would you pay for your own soul? I honestly believe that you would say, “Souls are priceless”. That’s correct! Souls are priceless, but how far have you gone to save one soul?

In the parable of the lost coin we can see in a very clear way, the strong desire and determination of of a woman to find a single coin that she had lost inside of her own house. In her mind she would never accept to lose something that one day she had brought inside of the house. She did whatever she could until she found it.

How many people do we know who used to be very active in the church. They were participating in the same glory and greatness of God along with us, but today we do not find them in the House of God anymore? I am sure that right now the remembrance of these people just pop up into your mind, and you say, ‘Oh yes, it’s true! They are the coin that was lost inside of the house.

God wants us to act just like the woman did. Light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until we find the coin. Though in the Bible is not mentioned how long she took to find it, but I do believe that she found the coin in the very same day.

Dear assistant, let us work on that from today until Saturday, you are going to do like the woman did until you find a lost soul to bring back to the house of God this Sunday. It is needless to say that God will bless you.

  “And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost! Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15. 9-10

Can God count on you?

Bishop Carlos

O PODER DAS PALAVRAS

Na tentação do Senhor Jesus encontramos, a direção para a nossa vitória. O relato bíblico aponta o fato de que foi o próprio Espírito Santo quem guiou o Senhor Jesus para o deserto, com a finalidade exclusiva de ser tentado pelo diabo. Uma pergunta que logo surge é: por que motivo Deus queria que Seu Filho fosse tentado pelo diabo antes mesmo de iniciar o seu ministério terreno?

Lá no deserto, bem longe de tudo e de todos, absolutamente sozinho, aparentemente abandonado, Jesus sabia que, embora os Seus olhos não pudessem contemplar alguma ajuda exterior, ainda assim, dentro dEle, uma voz não cessava de dizer: “Eu estou contigo! Não importa toda esta solidão; tenha certeza de que Eu estou contigo”.

Esta voz sempre se faz presente nas horas de maior angústia e aflição, pelas quais nós passamos pelo deserto deste mundo.

Depois de jejuar tantos dias e tantas noites, era impossível que o Senhor Jesus não tivesse fome, pois Sua natureza humana estava no auge da necessidade humana. E foi exatamente por causa disso, aproveitando a necessidade física, que o diabo se aproximou e lançou a primeira seta venenosa ao dizer: “Se és filho de Deus, manda que estas pedras se transformem em pães”.

Ora, o diabo sabia perfeitamente que Jesus era o filho de Deus. Muito embora estivesse apenas em evidência, a natureza humana de Jesus, comprovada pela fome, ainda assim a Sua natureza divina era real, mesmo que não tivesse o direito de usá-la, pois ele tinha que viver exclusivamente dentro dos limites humanos.

Quer dizer, Ele não poderia usar seus atributos divinos para transpor as barreiras das dificuldades como, por exemplo, transformar as pedras em pães para matar Sua fome. Não! Se isto acontecesse, então não era Jesus, Filho e cordeiro de Deus, quem estava entre nós, mas o próprio Deus, e daí, Seu sacrifício seria invalidado, pois não poderia sofrer na carne, na alma e no espírito com a morte no calvário, uma vez que Deus não morre. Ele teria de sentir na própria carne o sofrimento humano. O diabo sabia disso mas, ainda assim tentou-O, lançando-Lhe um desafio.

O diabo, sabendo que Jesus estava faminto, buscou tentá-Lo. Entretanto não caiu na tentação. Deixando Suas emoções e sentimentos de lado, Jesus declarou: “Está escrito: Nem só de pão viverá o homem, mas de toda palavra que sai da boca de Deus”.

Diante daquela situação contrária, o Senhor Jesus resistiu, não com o Seu poder, muito menos com Sua autoridade suprema, mas tão-somente com a palavra! Aí está o caminho certo para a saída de todo e qualquer problema que venha nos afligir.

O servo de Deus deve ler, meditar e praticar diariamente a Palavra de Deus, pois assim poderá resistir os dias maus e vencer as batalhas contra o diabo.