EXCERPT

We have probably at one time or another grown weary to the point of exhaustion with all our self-efforts and all the religious weights we have put on ourselves, not to mention the religious weights others would impose upon us. Whether we like it or not there is a side of us that tends to be religious. It is a part of us that we received from the first Adam. It has been woven, as it were, into our soulish realm. The Adamic nature has been crucified with Christ but it has left an impression, an imprint, in our souls. When we are first apprehended of the Lord we find such a relief from our sins. Oh, the guilt has been lifted and we rejoice in His forgiveness. Yet there is still much work to be done in our lives. There is a part of us that is new. We have been born of the Spirit, born from above. There is a new creation man living in our spirits bearing witness with our spirits that we are born-ones of God. (Ro.8:16) But it doesnt take a rocket scientist to understand there are still many areas in us that are still unchanged. We find ourselves in a situation and we see the same old us coming to the surface. It is at this point we find our religious side wants to kick in and start adding all the rules and regulations we find so popular in the religious world.

All of our good doing cannot bring us into right standing with God. We must simply believe God. He has paid the debt in Christ Jesus and when we believe Him righteousness is imputed to us. We are justified. This is rest given.

Oh, the joy unspeakable and full of glory that arises in our hearts when we first find out our debt has been paid in full by our precious Jesus. Righteousness is imputed to us. We are justified. We now have peace with God and joy springs forth from this peace. This is the Kingdom of God.

It is at this point many have a great misunderstanding. There are those who will camp at this place of justification, rejoicing in their forgiveness of sins, waiting to go to heaven. They know they have been forgiven and even now when they sin they know they can come and be forgiven again of this present sin. They spend all their lives sinning and repenting and being forgiven. They may make some progress, not much, but the cycle continues to repeat itself over and over through out their life- time. They are told this is all they can expect till they get to heaven.

Many have experienced the supernatural power of the Spirit for service, an anointing for service, and have thought this was Pentecost. We have also seen that such an anointing for service did not necessarily bring change in our lives. We could go to a meeting one night and be anointed for service and do great things, only to wake up the next day and still be as carnal as we were before we were even apprehended of the Lord. The Corinthian church is a prim example of such a life. They flowed in the gifts of the Spirit yet Paul called them carnal. (1Cor.3:1-3) Soon we tired of just an anointing for service and our precious Lord began to woo us to move into a greater reality of this same life. Our eyes began to be opened to Tabernacles, fullness. We began to hunger for a realm of life in which we no longer found ourselves plagued with the same problems over and over. A life free from habits, attitudes, improper feelings, desires that are not of God. Our understanding of Pentecost was, it is an anointing for service and in an attempt to move on we threw out the anointing for service. Pentecost was never meant to be just an anointing for service. This initial release of Gods life from our spirit into our soul was God walking in our garden in the Spirit of the day and we began to experience things we never dreamed were possible.