Dead Theologians

You can quote the written Word of God from Genesis to Revelation and go to Hell. You can have the Living Word of God, Jesus, and go to Heaven. Unless you are filled with the Holy Spirit of God who gives life to the written Word, you will go to Heaven defeated and fruitless while giving the wrong Gospel to those you meet. That will lead other people to a fruitless life in Christ or it may leave then dead in their sins robbing them of their opportunity to be saved since they do not see the power of God in your life. The Gospel is power.

Indeed, we have not the unity of the Spirit because we lack the power of the Spirit. We need not more eloquent Christians, but more Christians empowered by the Spirit.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

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

1Cor 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

1Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

1Thess 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

We are in an age where many who call themselves Christians and groups that call themselves churches fit this verse.

2Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

For many years, thanks to my theological training, I denied the power partly because I believed in the power of the Gospel and the power of God and Jesus, but I told the Holy Spirit that He had lost some of His power and mission. I thought I could press on in my salvation and doctrine without relying on the power of the Spirit for power in my life and ministry because He was limited to only sealing me, praying for me and giving me knowledge. Most of my ministry and living the life was up to me so I had a mixed Gospel of Law and Grace practicing legalism while fervently preaching against it.

I was not a Sadducee, but definitely a Pharisee. The Sadducees, like our Liberals today, were wrong in almost everything. The Pharisees had many correct beliefs, but also had messed up doctrines devised by them instead of God. The group I was once affiliated with abounded with such things and they are not alone.

My prayer is that God will make me more fruitful in my last years than I have been in the years since April 6, 1975. I am seeking the Baptism of the Spirit, the Second Word of Grace of the Holy Spirit, or Him having all of me as I have all of Him or whatever you call being empowered by Him now that I see Him as the fully empowered person of the Godhead that He is.

Yes, there are weird people with weird ideas of how He functions, but as one pastor said they would be weird of they were not talking about the Holy Spirit. Yes, people flip from a very strict legalistic faith group to the other extreme. The goal is balance and that is why we have the written Word as a check and balance.

The Holy Spirit is not hampered by the Word, but as He was involved with its writing He will not do or say anything contrary to what was written. We try the spirits by the Word and the Holy Spirit, not our experiences or observations as they can be skewed very easy. So stay in the Word and seek the Holy Spirit's direction and He will guide you into all truth so that you can see the errors and avoid them.

Matt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.