The Transferring Of Spirits

THE TRANSFERRING OF SPIRITS

Numbers 11:16, 17, 25; 27:16-20; 2 Kings 2:15

One of the themes in Scripture that we do not talk about very much is the transferring of spirits. Yet it is a theme that occurs throughout the Scripture.

Spirit: “a disposition; a frame of mind; a mood.” It is a special attitude or frame of mind.

This transferring of spirits sometimes occurs when God selects a successor or successors. It is done to help the successor to accomplish God’s purpose.

Now, we transfer a lot of things:

*We transfer knowledge. We sometimes think this is the primary way to have revival or to see a church grow. But knowing what it takes to have revival or grow a church will not accomplish it. Not only do we have to know we have to act. Most of us don’t have a problem with knowledge. We know how to pray we just don’t pray. We know that when people are discouraged we need to encourage them, we just don’t.

A lot of times it is those who know the most who accomplish the least.

*We transfer wealth. Many have built great empires and transferred this wealth to an heir but that heir squandered it all away.

But when it comes to transferring of spirits we don’t talk too much about that. Maybe because we haven’t thought about it that much.

We have in Numbers the 11th chapter part of the story of Moses. The burden of the people became too heavy for Moses and he needed to share his leadership. He could not do the work by himself, he needed help. There was a transferring of the spirit that was upon Moses to the 70 elders so they could help carry the load.

In Numbers 27 we see where Joshua is about to become the successor of Moses. The transferring of spirits takes place. The spirit of Moses was transferred to Joshua. {Notice, they had to receive this for the transfer to be complete.}

In 2 Kings Chapter 2 the same thing takes place again. The spirit of Elijah was transferred to Elisha.

Listen up: Every church has a spirit, and it’s not always the Holy Spirit; every individual in that church has a spirit as well as every denomination.

Every congregation has a spirit. This spirit has usually been cultivated or developed over a long time. This spirit determines how people listen to a sermon, how they evangelize or how they react to change. For instance: if people have a spirit of analysis or sleepiness or wandering they are less likely to get much out of the sermon; if people have a spirit of timidity or fear they are not going to do much evangelism and if people have a spirit of resistance or nostalgia they want be open to much change.

Two churches that are close together can have the same doctrine and the same truth being preached but one is in bitterness and discord and the other is bursting with growth and unity. In some churches people can have a spirit of slothfulness or laziness or they can have a spirit of energy and work.

Some that are sitting here in this church right now, hearing this message; some will accept it and some will reject it. It all depends on your spirit. It will depend on if you have a spirit of openness or a spirit of close mindedness to the Word. If you come with a spirit that says, “I can’t get anything from the service” guess what, you want be disappointed.

In Isaiah 61:3 the Bible talks about exchanging the spirit of heaviness for a spirit or garment of praise.

In some churches there is a spirit of judgementalism. They size you up when you come in the front door.

Here comes an eye opener: people don’t join a church because of what that church believes. Nine out of ten will tell you that they joined because of a spirit of love.

Whether you realize it or not when you walk into church you carry a spirit with you. If enough people pick up on it or tune into it, you can transfer that spirit to them.

This happens when a person comes in with a critical spirit. Have you ever noticed how fast a spirit of criticism is transferred from one person to another? A person who comes into such an atmosphere with a spirit of joy feels out of place. And if your aren’t careful that spirit of criticism will be transferred to you. But praise God, if that spirit of joy in you is greater than that spirit of grouchiness it will begin to catch on and be transferred to people. We should not allow people to transfer these bad spirits to us.