16 NOW it happened, as we went to prayer, THAT A CERTAIN SLAVE GIRL POSSESSED WITH A SPIRIT OF DIVINATION MET US, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “THESE MEN ARE THE SERVANTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
Acts 16:16,17 (NKJV)
18 AND many who had believed came CONFESSING AND TELLING THEIR DEEDS.
19 ALSO, MANY OF THOSE who had PRACTICED MAGIC BROUGHT THEIR BOOKS TOGETHER AND BURNED THEM IN THE SIGHT OF ALL. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver."
Acts 19:18,19 (NKJV)
• Some are deluded.
A young lady was sharing with me that she has the gift of the Holy Spirit operating in her life from childhood.
I asked her When did she give her life to Christ Jesus. She mentioned the time, and I told her that the gift she talked about is not of God.
- The source of the gift could not have been God, because the gift had been operational in her life ever before she accepted Christ Jesus as her Saviour and Lord. She did argue and could not agree with what I told her.
- There are many in the church today who claimed to have one gift of the Holy Spirit or another, but such gifts they talk about are not of God. They are not the gifts of the Holy Spirit at all! Such are familiar spirits, spirit of divination, soothsaying, sorcery, and the like.
- Such people know the truth and reality of it, but a good number of them pretended as if they were ignorant of the truth. Some of such people wanted to believe the end justifies the means!
- They wanted to believe that, even if the so-called gifts of the spirit which they had were of the devil, since they are using them for good, to minister to other people; it thus made such gifts acceptable to God.
- Another person who has such a gift quoted a Scripture to substantiate the legitimacy of the gift: "FOR the GIFTS AND CALLING of God ARE WITHOUT REPENTANCE" (Romans 11:29 KJV) the person said.
- The person said God does give gifts to everyone, even those who have not repented—those who are not born-again.
BUT that passage of the Bible does not mean that, it was wrongly interpreted. - I want us to see that Bible passage in other translations:
"FOR once they are made, GOD DOES NOT WITHDRAW HIS GIFTS OF HIS CALLING" (Romans 11:29 Philips).
"FOR THE GIFTS and THE CALLING OF GOD ARE IRREVOCABLE" (Romans 11:29 NKJV).
"FOR God’s GIFTS and HIS CALL CAN NEVER BE WITHDRAWN" (Romans 11:29 NLT).
"FOR THE GIFTS and THE CALLING OF GOD ARE IRREVOCABLE [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call]" (Romans 11:29 Amps).
- What the author of that Bible passage says does not imply that God gives gifts to those who have not repented. What he said is that God does not change His mind when He does give gifts and called someone to be used by HIM—God.
- The calling and the Gifts without repentance according to King James Bible means, God does not repent or change His mind when He called someone and decided to use the person for His purpose.
- Therefore, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for those who are not born-again.
- Since whoever would receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit must have the Person of the Holy Spirit on the inside of him or her, thus, someone who has not been baptized in the Holy Spirit cannot have the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
THE Holy Spirit is the seal of God's ownership on those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour:
13 In Him [Christ Jesus] you also trusted, AFTER YOU HEARD THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE GOSPEL OF YOUR SALVATION; IN whom also, HAVING BELIEVED, YOU WERE SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE" (Ephesians 1:13 NKJV).
READ: Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30. - Someone who is seeing into the realm of the spirit as an unbeliever could not claim that the gift of revelation with which he or she is seeing into the realm of spirit, is FROM the Holy Spirit—God. Not at all!
- The Holy Spirit does not give gifts to those who are not reborn! Any supernatural gift being operated by someone who is not born-again does not have its source from God.
AN unbeliever cannot receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
16 And I [Jesus Christ] will pray the Father [God], and He will give you another HELPER [the Holy Spirit], that He may abide with you forever—17 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, WHOM THE WORLD [the unbelievers] CANNOT RECEIVE, because it [the world, the unbelievers] neither sees Him nor knows Him; BUT YOU [Believers] KNOW HIM, FOR HE DWELLS WITH YOU AND WILL BE IN YOU" (John 14:16,17 NKJV).
• What are the implications if you do NOT renounce whatever belongs to the devil, and the implications, if you are NOT committed to Christ fully after your claim of being born-again.
(i) The gift or whatever of the devil which you still have with you, gives him, the devil, a place in your life.
IT serves as a legal ground for him to operate in your life.
(ii) The devil can easily rob you of the benefits and blessings of God's Kingdom because you have his property or gifted in your life.
(iii) Also, God will not be able to use you maximally, being that the devil is still claiming ownership of your life because his property or gifted is in your life.
(iv) In additions, you may experience things like: If you are a bachelor girl who is still believing God for a partner, the devil may stand on your way in getting one, he may not allow you to settle down and have a family. AND at times, if you succeeded in marrying, you may have a delay in having children.
a. The devil would want to frustrate you, and would not want you to enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom of God, since you still have what belongs to him with you. Not only on marriage, the devil may stand to fight your finances, health, or whatever.
b. The devil may even want to contend for your soul that you are his, after your journey on earth! He may want to drag you to hell: "Yet Michael the archangel, IN CONTENDING [arguing] WITH THE DEVIL, WHEN HE DISPUTED ABOUT THE BODY OF MOSES..." (Jude 9).
- If any incriminating thing, a property that belongs to the devil, is found in your life, he may either lay claim on your body or soul like he did that of Moses at the end of your journey on earth (Jude 8,9).
(v) The devil also could cause you to remain shallow in the things of the Spirit, the things of the Kingdom of God. THE genuine Gifts of the Holy Spirit would not be operational in your Life, because you already had the counterfeit.
• For whoever wants to be used of God should cleanse himself or herself and be a vessel of HONOUR and GOLD:
19 NEVERTHELESS the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS,” and, “LET EVERYONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY.” 20 BUT in a great house there are not only vessels of GOLD and SILVER, BUT also of WOOD and CLAY, SOME for HONOUR and SOME for DISHONOUR. 21 THEREFORE IF ANYONE CLEANSES HIMSELF FROM THE LATTER, HE WILL BE A VESSEL FOR HONOUR, SANCTIFIED AND USEFUL FOR THE MASTER, PREPARED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK" (2 Timothy 2:19-21 NKJV).
- You cannot partake from the table of God and that of the devil:
19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?
20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to DEMONS AND NOT TO GOD, AND I DO NOT WANT YOU TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH DEMONS. 21 YOU CANNOT DRINK THE CUP OF THE LORD AND THE CUP OF DEMONS; YOU CANNOT PARTAKE OF THE LORD'S TABLE AND OF THE TABLE OF DEMONS" (1 Corinthians 10:19-21 NKJV).
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED