The Power of the Spirit

The Power of the Spirit

By

Gary Primo

Oct. 27, 2018

Where is the spirit of power that set Believers apart from all the rest today? If you are like me, you have likely pondered this question throughout you spiritual walk. I simply cannot believe that it is any less available to us than it was in the beginning. We likely all ask ourselves, what are we yet doing wrong? Am I not following the Lamb as required? Why do I not possess the same power of the spirit that the apostles and disciples possessed in the former days? These are all very good questions; and ones that need to be answered.

Most often when we run into a brick wall in understanding the spirit, we just place it on the back burners, thinking, “Yahuwah will reveal the answer to me in His own good time. But is that really what Yahuwah desires us to do? I do not believe it for a second, even though I do it too. I believe that Yahuwah expects us to do our best to search the scriptures and find the answers ourselves. So that is what we are going to do with this question.

Lu 4:14 - And Yahushua returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

The spirit of Elohim comes with great power. The Believers of the first century all bore record of that fact. So what happened to this power of the spirit and why hasn’t it manifested itself in those calling themselves True Believers today? Surely many of us have experienced healings and other miraculous answers to our prayers over the years, but not to the extreme like in the days of the apostles. Is it simply a lack of faith? Or is there another answer?

Ro 15:19 - Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of Elohim; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of HaMashiyack.

This was the apostle Shaul (Paul) speaking. As we all know, Shaul was the prominent persecutor of True Believers before his conversion. He was a Pharisee and a teacher of the Jews. His conversion came as a complete shock to the Jewish elite, and they strenuously strived against Shaul from that point on. Shaul is proclaiming here that the signs and wonders that followed the apostles were the by-product of possessing the power of the spirit. Ergo, not possessing this power must mean that we are yet lacking in the spirit.

Paul also suggests that the power of the spirit accompanied his preaching of the gospel of Yahushua. Could this be the clue we seek?

I remember quite plainly that when in my former church (the WCG) that we were told by the church leadership that individual members were not authorized to preach the gospel. The only ones who were qualified were those who graduated from their own institute of higher brainwashing – Ambassador College. We were led to believe that we were doing our part by distributing the Plain Truth magazine.

Is that what Yahushua commissioned each Believer to do? No, He commissioned us to preach the gospel to all the ends of the earth. Many look to today’s Christian religion as having accomplished that. But if what they are teaching is a lie, there is no victory in sight for them.

When tribulation came upon the True Believers, They were driven underground and dispersed amongst all nations. Naturally, performing the works of the spirit would have soon revealed their location. Could this have been the reason for the stifling of the power of the spirit? It certainly stifled the preaching of the “true” gospel at the time. And, since the Christian church has never preached the true gospel, we should not expect the power of the spirit to accompany or qualify their works.

And yet, we have all witnessed such ministries appearing to perform such “mighty” works. My main question is what spirit is performing them? The first miracles that Moshe performed before Pharaoh were quickly duplicated by the magicians of Egypt. We know that the antichrist is going to work many convincing miracles when he arrives on the scene. It will be because of these miracles that the world will believe that the antichrist is Yahushua and will fall down and worship him. There are also numerous healing Christian ministries that promote healing as proof that they are servants of the true Elohim. However, if their words and teachings do not match the Messiah’s, they are liars and are not of the body of Yahushua. Then, by whose spirit does their power come from – HaSatan’s. And, the only way to tell the difference is by their words.

Dan. 7:11 - I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

Dan. 7:25 - And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Words can be a very powerful weapon. They are difficult to take back once uttered. Words disclose what is hidden in the heart. Deceitful words reveal a deceitful heart. As we have witnessed in the Christian faith, words can be twisted to make them mean what one wants them to mean. We all came out of the worldly religions of this earth by studying the Word of Elohim for ourselves and not by leaning on others for our understanding. And, like I continuously urge my readers, do not believe me, but search and prove all things for yourself. I do not believe that I am deceived, nor that any words I speak in regard to the Scriptures are false; but then, I would not know if I am yet deceived or not until it is revealed to me. Many of the things I used to believe while in the worldly system have proven to be false. And, the only way I learned they were false was by searching and proving all things. And yet, there are likely a number of things that I am still deceived about and; therefore, I continue to search and prove all things.

It is HaSatan’s desire to usurp Yahuwah’s authority and cause all the earth to worship him in place of the Father. To date, he seems to be winning the war. His main weapons are his words and his miracles. He tells the world what they want to hear, that they are already gods and they do not have to wait on Yahuwah to achieve their destiny. He performs miracles to verify his words. And, because most people are too lazy to search and prove all things, they easily fall prey to his deceptions.

Lu 11:29 - And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

When people are confused and do not know the answer to a spiritual question, they often seek a sign to reveal to them what direction to take. Also, many, because of unbelief or misguided belief do not recognize a true sign from Yahuwah when they do witness one. For example, where Yahushua said he would only give one sign, which was the sign of Jonah, as proof that He was who He claimed to be. And, even that was not enough to convince inhabitants of this world. And even though His words perfectly matched His actions and the Scriptures, the majority believed Him not. The blind prefer to follow other blind guides, and there are plenty of such out there today.

No one likes to hear that they are wrong and need to change. However, I figured out a long time ago that I certainly needed to change if I was ever to see the Kingdom of Yahuwah. Rather than look for signs, I decided to search for truth. I figured that once I found the truth, the signs would naturally follow. And some signs have indeed followed. However, I do not deceive myself that they were on account of my knowing all truth, but rather because I was seeking all truth. We must be careful not to confuse the two. We must never assume with each new piece to the puzzle that is revealed to us, that we have it all. It is much safer to assume that we yet have much to learn.

The power of the spirit can manifest itself in other ways than healings and miracles.

1Co 12:28 - And Elohim has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

1Co 12:29 - Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

Obviously, we all are given different gifts – some of which we may not yet recognize. Is any gift greater than another, or do they all work together for the glory of Yahuwah? I’ll go with the later. I feel like my gift is writing and researching. Yahuwah has not revelled anything to me beyond this so far. And, I fear what he may reveal to me in the future. How many prophets of the past tried to run away from Yahuwah when they were told what was expected of them? Jonah was a prime example. We might want to be careful what we wish for. However, when Yahuwah does reveal our gift to us, we will not be in any position to refuse – if we wish to be in the Kingdom.

Eph 4:11 - And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Whatever gift we are given, we must pursue it wilt all our might. Yahuwah knows our strengths and how we might best suite His purpose for us. As long as we step out in faith, the power of the spirit will be with us. We need not have a great deal of confidence in ourselves, but we can have all confidence in Yahuwah to perform His mighty works through us. We are no different from the apostles. They were all mere men, like us. I do not think they could have foreseen how the power of the spirit would work through and sustain them. It was faith that brought the power of the spirit upon them and gave them the courage to use the gifts given them.

And the following speaks of false prophets:

1 Tim. 1:5 - Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

6 - From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

7 - Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

8 - But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

The Christian community is widely recognized for their acts of charity. Perhaps that is what brings many into its folds. Yet, what good is charity if it is accompanied by lies. I am sure that a number of those claiming to be Believers, fell short on the degree of faith they had once persecution came upon them. I am sure hat there was a number of them that “cut and ran”. There were also many false contenders for the leadership of these assemblies, some of which were planted by the dominant religion in Rome of the day – Mithraism.

3 John 1:9 - I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the pre-eminence among them, received us not.

10 - Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither does he himself receive the brethren, and forbids them that would, and casting them out of the church.

The leader of this church actually refused to have John or any of the other apostles visit and address the church. If anyone voiced any objection towards him, he cast them out. Only Yahuwah has the authority to cast anyone out of His body. I witnessed numerous occasions where members of my former church were “disfellowshipped” because their understanding differed from that of the church leadership. I ended up leaving following the change in leadership and church doctrine. I left on my own accord, and yet, the pastor lied and said I was disfellowshipped. That church, in its original form, no longer exists. And the only advice I have for all who were disfellowshipped is to not allow that fact to dissuade you from pursuing after Yahushua. It might just be the best thing that could have happened to you.

1 John 2:4 - He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 - But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of Elohim perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

6 - He that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

What is the greatest gift of all? It is the love of Yahuwah that he has freely given to us. Love has to be reciprocal. Freely we receive, freely we give. Just as Yahuwah never holds back, neither should we – even if we are hated because of it. If we say we know/love Him and yet we do not keep His commandments, we are liars and are only fooling ourselves. The love of Yahuwah is perfected in us through the keeping of His commandments. We must walk the walk as well as talk the talk – in perfect harmony with Yahushua. In condemning the law, the Christian community made themselves into liars and as such the love of Yahuwah will never be perfected in them.

If love is the greatest gift of all, then that is what our prime focus must be upon. It is the all-encompassing gift. Once we have the love of Yahuwah (which knows no understanding), that pure unfettered agape love, I am sure that many other gifts that the power of the spirit brings will follow.

Conclusion

The power of the spirit may take many forms. If we remain true to the word of Yahuwah and obey His every command, the power of the spirit will indwells us and eventually reveal our particular gift. Do not be dismayed and leave off following Yahuwah merely because you did not receive the gift you were expecting. Yahuwah knows best in what manner we can best serve Him.

If we are yet looking for a sign, we may end up being greatly disappointed. We have already been given the only sign Yahushua said he would give – the sign of Jonah, as in being 3 days and nights in the grave. So why would we be still seeking any other sign? Either we believe that Yahushua was 3 days and nights in the earth and was afterward resurrected back to life, or we don’t. It is as simple as that. And, this is one sign that the Adversary cannot duplicate. Only Yahuwah has the power of life or death. Yet Mainstream Christianity denies this sign in that they claim Yahushua was only in the grave for 1 ½ days. Woe unto them!

We must have confidence in the power of the spirit, that it will lead us into all truth eventually, and that the fruits of the spirit will follow. We must follow in the exact footsteps of the Messiah if we wish to become like Him. The Christian community claims that the Law has been done away with; and, therefore, are not pursuing the perfecting of the soul which obedience to the Law brings. In perfecting our soul, we become one with Yahuwah, just as Yahushua was. When we reach that state, many gifts will be revealed.

Until that time, we must struggle on in searching and proving all things. We may yet remain under the spell of the doctrines we held dear in the past. There is definitely a danger in becoming so entangled in church doctrine that we end up worshipping such doctrine (as both the Jews and Christians have done). If such doctrine is not of Yahuwah, then it is of men. The Jewish Talmud is a prime example. The Jews revere the Talmud over the Torah – the words of men over the Word of Yahuwah. It must not be so amongst True Believers.

Yahuwah Bless

G.P.