Becoming Portals of Holy Ghost Power

 

Sunday, October 16, 2022

 

In Acts chapter 2 we see where a portal of heaven opened up over a gathering of God’s disciples who were in a room in Jerusalem.  The th Holy Ghost, that Ruach HaKodesh, the very breath of Holy Spirit came roaring out of heaven like a mighty wind to fill the room with his presence, and to ignite the faith, the heart, the mind, and every part of the being of a Child of God who had been Born Again!

 

When they had believed upon Jesus as the Very Son of God and received his forgiveness for sin, and confessed Jesus as Lord, the Spirit of God had brought them from spiritual death to spiritual and eternal life!  They not only believed in Jesus, but they were walking in obedience to the Lord’s command to tarry, to wait, to expect, to look for the Promise of the Father that would come upon them.

 

In Acts 2, that Wind of the Spirit blew stronger than ever before into the hearts of Believers and it was the earnest, or the down payment of God’s Promise that still continues to come to those who are willing to wait, watch, pray, expect and desire all that God has for us.

 

God knows that in these latter days, while the spirit of the Antichrist is trying to destroy the Bride of Christ, and erase all knowledge of Jesus as Lord from the minds of men, that the church will need more of the power and presence of God to engage the devil in spiritual warfare!

 

That’s why Jesus told his disciples, who had already accepted that Jesus is Lord, and had already turned from their former lives and became disciples to go from where he ascended into heaven on the Mount of Olives and return to Jerusalem to wait for the Promise of the Father that would be given to them.

 

Acts 1:4 - 5  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 

 

The disciples and their families had been witnesses during their time of following Jesus and its obvious by the crowds that would gather as Jesus traveled through Israel that his fame had spread, but it was not because he was proclaimed to be the Messiah of Israel or the Son of God.  Most came because of the loaves and fishes, or to be healed and delivered from devils.  They came for what he could do for them; not what they could do for him.

 

Now, after his arrest and crucifixion, to be a follower of Jesus took on a whole new meaning.  He was no longer walking through the land as a man.  He had become a criminal, and to identify with Christ now meant a lot of trouble, maybe even imprisonment or execution as a rebel.

 

His disciples had more faith in him as the Savior than ever before.  If they had not been convinced of the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, they were now.  He had proven himself many times, but the fact that he was resurrected from the dead and they watched him as he arose back into heaven sealed their faith in him being very God that walked among men.

 

Even so, they were fearful, hiding in the shadows, and their testimony of Christ was weak and ineffective.  They had no boldness, but were trying to be quiet followers to avoid persecution.  In their hearts they were stronger Believers than ever, but in their ability to be true witnesses they were more like scared kittens, jumping and running from anyone who recognized them as disciples of Jesus.

 

Satan’s attacks against the church in these last days is picking up steam.  The days of religious freedom with prayer in schools, and being admired for being a Christian, and being able to carry your Bible to work, or to school or anywhere you wanted, and the days of having freedom to pass out tracts or witness to someone about Jesus anywhere and at any time are just about gone as the world grows ever deeper into darkness of sin. 

 

We are told to be witnesses but carrying out that commission in a world that’s growing more hostile to Christianity every day is getting more dangerous all the time. 

 

Many Christians are too fearful to witness, fearing that they will come under fire from all of their friends and become ostracized or rejected, or even made fun of and get into trouble for stating that they believe in Jesus and his word.

 

And when our Christian witness is given from weakness of our own fear, how effective can it be?  We need the boldness of a lion!  That heart of a frightened kitten that is in us has to step out of the shadows, stand up for Jesus and allow the Lion of Judah to roar through us. 

 

We have to have a holy boldness that comes from something greater than our own heart, and will speak louder than our own voice.  We need the roar that comes from the very word of the Lord and from the very throne of God himself, and that roar comes through the infilling power of the Holy Ghost that will light a Fire of Faith and power in us so that no devil of hell can stand against us and the power of the Holy Ghost will drive conviction for sin into the hearts of the hearers.  We must allow the Holy Ghost to speak through us, for he is the power of God that will bring salvation!

 

We can’t talk without him!  We can’t preach without Him!  We can’t be the strong witness in these days without him! 

 

The disciples that literally stood and watched the Lord Jesus Christ be crucified, buried and then saw him after his resurrection, and had touched the nail prints in his hand, and the wound in his side, and had seen with their own eyes performing miracles, signs and wonders; casting out devils and opening blinded eyes and raising the dead were weak in their testimony and hiding in fear of their lives!  Their faith was strong but their flesh was weak, unable to handle the pressures that the devil was bringing upon them!

 

Jesus had just told them to be witnesses in Judea, in Samaria and in all the world!  How were they ever going to carry out the Great Commission?

 

There is only One Way, and it’s by allowing God to be in them in such a way that they would be given the very Boldness of the Lion, and the Power of the Living Word, and the Voice of the Creative Power of God himself!  They were only going to be made strong if God was in them, empowering them in a measure that was far greater than any inner strength of their own.

 

They went back to Jerusalem and for the sake of safety and secrecy, and according to one of the traditions of the Jews, they returned to the same upper room that would be later called the “Cenacle”.  It was, or at least would become part of a synagogue during the 1st Century AD and it was the same room where Jesus had celebrated the Last Supper, and the same room where Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection and had turned a doubting Thomas into a man of unshakeable faith by allowing Thomas to touch the wounds in Jesus’ hands and in his side!

 

To those among us who doubt whether the Baptism in the Holy Ghost is real, or wonder if it’s really as powerful and great as others claim, Thomas serves as your example to let you know that God does not mind skepticism; that your doubts and fears can be answered; and that God will do whatever it takes to allow your faith to arise; but you have to be willing to reach out and touch him, and then when the reality is revealed, then embrace it and receive the Promise in faith!  God doesn’t shy away from a challenge!  He makes a way for even the doubters if they’ll only choose to obey his voice!   

 

This upper room would provide living quarters for all the disciples and their families while they waited and the keeper of the house had already proven to be a friend of Jesus so they felt a measure of safety there.

 

They were in that upper room in a constant state of waiting, but they didn’t know what was coming or how long it would be in coming. All they knew was that Jesus said that a promised gift was coming from the Father in Heaven, and that they should remain together until the gift was revealed.

 

They dwelled together, worked to support one another, kept themselves accountable to one another, looked out and prayed for one another, and were in a constant state of awareness that something great and wonderful and powerful was coming.  Jesus had promised it, but what was “IT”?

 

It's a parallel picture of the church in this hour, for we are one church under Christ, watching and waiting for the promise of Jesus coming for his Bride.  I want to be sure that I’m in that number who are where they need to be in Jesus when that time comes.  I don’t want to be wandering off, forgetting about it, and then missing the rapture!

 

But I need God right now!  I don’t want to miss out on the promise of God for right now!  I want whatever the Lord has for me.  Like the commercial on TV, “I want my blessings; and I want them now!  Whatever you have for me Jesus, I need it now!”  Having the presence of the Lord forever with me in my heavenly home is wonderful to imagine, but what about NOW!  I need your presence and your power and your anointing NOW, in this life, so I can be strong and faithful while waiting for the day that we are all going up to be with you!

 

Jesus was crucified on Passover, raised from the dead after 3 days, then appeared to his disciples for 40 days after that before ascending into heaven.  So the best guess is that the 120 were in a constant state of prayer and waiting for the Promise for at least 7 days.  Those were probably the longest 7 days of their lives, and they could have given up saying, “When will it come?  We’ve waited so long and nothing is happening?”

 

It was a time of more questions than answers, and a time of great confusion.  In no way did it seem that God was fully in control.  It looked like the devil had taken control and the world around them was so dark and dangerous.  They had promises of God, but where was the fulfillment of those promises?  They were still under the rule of a hostile government and a legalistic religion that was set on their destruction.  They lived under great fear of persecution, worrying about what was going to happen to them.  They were dwelling among enemies of Christ who surrounded them.

 

What would the Promise be?  How would it be given?  How would they know what it was when it came?  Who would bring it?  Would it come - through a prophet, through one of the disciples, through the kindness of keeper of the synagogue, through the appearance of an angel?  No one knew and that only added to the suspense. The air was filled with expectation and anticipation of what was about to happen but was it supposed to look like and feel like? 

 

In the fullness of God’s timing, God said, “It’s Go Time!” and the Promise flew out heaven and down into that upper room and there was no mistaking it when it happened.

 

Acts 2:1 - 4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 

To the disciples in the upper room it seemed that it had been a long time coming.  Even so, it happened “suddenly”!  God loves to move suddenly so that there is no ability of man to say that he had anything to do with what God does.  No man could take any glory or make any claim to what God was about to do!

 

Suddenly they heard the Lion roar out of heaven and it sounded like a roaring wind as the Holy Ghost stormed through the portals of Glory, coming out of heaven and invaded that upper room with the Awesome Glory of God.

 

The bible doesn’t say that anyone outside of that room heard the sound but those on the inside, who were waiting in faith, heard it!  The wind didn’t blow outside that room for Jesus had said that the promise would be for those who waited in obedience, in prayer and in unity of purpose.

 

The Holy Ghost blew upon each heart and appeared as tongues of Holy Ghost Fire over the head of every Believer!  The flame was a supernatural fire!  It was God’s Glory upon them! 

 

It didn’t singe their hair; it didn’t light up their clothes and burn their skin – it Lit up their hearts and minds, and consumed their innermost being, until they were completed consumed in the supernatural power of the Glory of God so much that it began to shoot out of the top of their heads for everyone around them to see. 

 

God’s power and glory upon us is not given to be hid under a basket!  It’s given as a sign upon us to light up the darkness of the world around us and to shine forth to give hope and deliverance to the lost who are dead in sin.  It is the power of God upon us to break through any barrier, overcome any devil, and to set the captive free from the chains of sin.  It is the Power of God unto Salvation that is released in the words we speak that come from the Spirit of God within us!

 

The Promise of God’s Awesome Power and Glory was on every one of them and I want to see that right here in our midst!    

 

I have never seen the manifestation of a literal flame on anyone receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, but I’ve seen the spiritual Fire of the Holy Ghost many times!  I can see him as someone is filled and they begin to speak in other tongues as God gives them the language and words to speak.  You can sense the power in the Spirit!  You can feel and see and know that God is Real and that this is nothing that any man can produce!  It’s a Holy Fire out of heaven that is undeniable!

 

Church, whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, I want us to remain faithful in seeking after and expecting to receive that wonderful experience of hearing the sound from heaven and seeing the tongues of Holy Fire and watching as the Holy Ghost descends and comes to indwell every one of us!  Let’s hear that mighty rushing wind and then let the flames of supernatural fire break forth!

 

We must pray and ask the Lord consistently to open the portal of heaven above each of us, and above His church, so that the Holy Ghost will blow out of heaven like that mighty rushing wind and fill the house!  I want to see that Glory of God manifested above every head and every heart!  I want the manifestation of the Holy Ghost to be so powerful in our midst that it will get talked about by everyone around the area!  Let that manifest power of Holy Ghost Fire be the Light that draws the lost out of their darkness to come to Jesus! 

 

I pray that the Wind, the very Breath of God, blows so strongly through our midst that it shakes the powers of hell around us like the winds of a hurricane, so that many are awakened and stirred, and will seek to know what is happening in Victory Temple.  

 

Let the sudden sound that interrupts their lives begin to bring them in so that they can be saved and the Wind may blow over and over again!  That’s called REVIVAL!  That’s called a True Spiritual Awakening!  

 

We don’t need programs.  We don’t need entertainment.  We don’t need to have “stars” on the platform, or flashing lights and smoke machines to create a fake, flesh appealing and artificially excited atmosphere of the presence of God to encourage people to worship Jesus!

 

WE NEED THAT WIND OF THE SPIRIT TO BLOW IN OUR MIDST!  The Holy Ghost can do in a moment of time what we cannot do in a lifetime!  The Holy Ghost will lift up Jesus through us and in us, and the Holy Fire of God will draw all men to Jesus when he is lifted up!

 

God will build his church!  He will do with us, or without us, but I want to be part of that building program.  Lord let me be a portal through which the Wind of the Spirit may blow!  Let me be so full of the Holy Ghost and Fire that it flows to everyone around me, so that Christ may be glorified!

 

There are many in the church today, and some in this church right now, who have never really had a true experience of the infilling power of the Holy Ghost and Fire!  Maybe it’s because we don’t understand it, or maybe because we are afraid of it.  People always fear what they don’t understand!

 

It’s okay if you’re a Thomas, full of doubts.  The Holy Ghost is still for you if you’ll seek after him and believe Him!  Just put yourself in the place to believe and receive and the Holy Ghost will come!

 

You don’t understand all things about Jesus, yet you trust in him and have come to him in order to be Born Again.  You don’t understand how God performs miracles of healing and provision, yet we do not cease to pray when we are in need!  We certainly don’t understand all there is to know about the Word of God, yet we never cease to believe it and obey it to the best of our ability.  We don’t fully understand the move of God in our services and how the presence of God moves among us, yet we certainly enjoy being in the midst of that move!

 

Let me tell you that the Holy Ghost is not like the ghosts in your mind, or in the movies.  He is not some disembodied soul of a dead man.  He’s only called the Holy Ghost because He is a Spirit!

 

The Holy Ghost is the living, breathing Spirit of God that has all power in heaven and in earth!  He is Holy, Pure, Love personified and Righteous and he only comes to empower us and help us to live as overcoming Children of God. 

You don’t need to understand him, just accept him and invite him in, opening your heart as you would open the door to receive a friend that comes to visit and let him speak to you and through you.

 

The Holy Ghost is here right now!  He’s moving in our midst, hovering over your heads, speaking to your hearts and minds, and he is gently calling you to ask him into your life!  Do you hear him?  If you’ll shut out everything else and listen, you’ll hear his voice speaking, drawing you to let him in!  He wants to interrupt your life to give you one of the greatest gifts you’ll ever receive.

 

The Holy Ghost sometimes comes gently and sometimes as a mighty rushing wind, but however he comes, he’s the same Holy Ghost and he wants to fill you will his power and let the Holy Fire of God burn in you and above you, and all around you!  He wants to live in you with a presence of the Holiness and Power of God.

 

The breath of God blows upon us to come and forever dwell in us, giving us the very power of creation; to speak to things that are not as though they are and to have faith to know that the manifestation of that which we see in faith will happen.

It is the power of God to command devils, to cast out demons, to walk in faith and to overcome every obstacle that the devil throws in our path.  The presence of Holy Ghost Fire is what the devil fears the most for he cannot resist the power of the breath and voice of God that speaks through the church.

 

How Can a Portal of the Holy Ghost Be Opened? Three things must be present.

• Unity

• Prayer

• Obedience

 

Let me ask you the same question that Paul asked the new Believers in the church at Ephesus.

 

Acts 19:2 - 6  He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (Well now, no one under the sound of my voice can say that you’ve never heard, for today you have heard it.) Paul then asked, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 

 

Why are you here in church this morning?  Why are you listening to this over the internet?  The answer is that you have already believed in Jesus Christ as the Savior.  You have probably been Born Again already, and if not, then we can take care of that right now.  Being Born Again is quick and easy and only requires a true confession and acceptance of Jesus as your Savior.

 

Acts 19:4  Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 

 

So the only pre-requisite for receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is that we must have been baptized into Christ through repentance and salvation, which is another way of saying that we must be Born Again by the Spirit of God through faith in the blood of Jesus.

 

Acts 19:5-6  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [Every one of them were Born Again through faith in Jesus.]  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. 

 

It’s that easy, if we allow it to happen and we want it.  Then the only questions we need to ask are:

• Do you want that Baptism in the Holy Ghost and Fire?

• Do you want to be a portal through whom the Holy Ghost can flow?

• Do you want to be used by God to bring light and hope to a dark and dying world?

• Do you want to be able to boldly witness, to teach the Word of Truth and to be a powerhouse of faith for the kingdom of God?

• Do you want to be on Fire for God instead of being a lukewarm Christian, hiding in the shadows to avoid being found out?

• Do you want to be part of the Glorious Church that is filled with the Power of God and will go in the Rapture to meet Jesus in the air?

 

If your answer is Yes, then you need the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and the time to receive him is now!  Come in one accord, keeping your heart and mind on receiving the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is here and waiting on you so COME NOW!