Holy Spirit's Workshop

“Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “for the day I will stand up to testify. 
I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out My wrath on them—all My fierce anger.  The whole world will be consumed by the fire of My jealous anger.” [Zephaniah 3.8]

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When Jesus told the eleven that it was good that He goes away so that the Father can send another Counsellor [John 16.7] – the Spirit of truth [John 16.13] – Jesus spoke of the manifestation of the Spirit of God in a form that was unknown to Israel.  For in the scriptures He was known as the Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge, Power, Understanding, Counsel and the Fear of the Lord. [Isaiah 11.2]  However, as the Spirit of truth He had not been known.

However, due to the disbelief, the disobedience and the delay caused by the eleven from resurrection morning onwards, the Holy Spirit did not come as the Spirit of truth, but as the Spirit of grace.  Grace because the eleven had already disobeyed and had not repented.  They had failed to go the Galilee.  They had failed to remain in Jerusalem, but had gone fishing instead.  They had failed to wait for the Holy Spirit to come to make known to them Jesus’ choice for the replacement of Judas, but had appointed Matthias instead.

To men who did not believe, did not obey and delayed the plans of God, the Spirit could not entrust the gift of power.  And so when He finally did come upon them, He could only give them the gifts of tongues and prophecy.  He could only let them speak, but could not let them have the power.

Just as Jesus came full of grace because of the sin that was present, so likewise the Spirit had to come as the Spirit of grace because of the sin that was already present… even in the ‘new’ people whom the Father had chosen for Jesus.

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Confusion gives rise to hesitation, inaction, doubt and disorder.  When a person is confused, you will find him behaving in a hesitant and disorderly manner, or he will be paralysed, not knowing what to do next.  And because he is confused, he is unable to receive new instructions.  In his confusion, he questions and doubts everything.  Hesitation, inaction, doubt and disorder are as good as any term to describe the lives of most Christians.  They may have the faith and live great moral lives, but by and large they are slow to act or they will not act, and if they do, it is usually in a disorderly fashion.

Where do these things come from?  And there is no Christian out there who can deny that he has not suffered from some degree of confusion in his life when it comes to his faith and his life as a Christian.  Most ignore it and placate the confusion by staying safely behind the walls of a denominational structure.

Confusion in all our lives comes from the four gospels about Jesus Christ.  The four gospels were written in such a way that a reader of all four is left wondering just exactly what was the order in which Jesus taught His teachings and did His miracles.  If you only read one gospel, then the confusion of not knowing the exact order of when Jesus did or said things or visited places is prevented.  But when you read all four gospels, then questions arise… such as, was there two or one mad man at Gerasenes, as Matthew said there were two, but Luke said there was one?  Did the centurion at Capernaum go to Jesus or did he send his friends?  He could not have done both.  Yet one gospel says that the centurion at Capernaum went to see Jesus personally, but the other gospel says that he sent his Jewish friends.

Unknown to all of us, such unresolved discrepancies sow a seed of confusion from which comes the hesitancy in our lives to defend the gospel truth, inaction when it comes to sowing the truth, and doubt when the basis of our faith is questioned.  A hesitant person who is slow to act and has doubts about what he believes tends to be a person who does not speak up.  A confused person can act in a most disorderly manner.

Understanding that this confusion comes from the fact that the four gospels do not set out completely the life of Jesus in a succinct and accurate timeline will allow a person to appreciate the Testimony of the Holy Spirit about Jesus.  The Testimony sets out clearly the sequence that Jesus spoke and acted in His ministry… and so eliminates the confusion inherent in the four gospels.

As it turns out, Jesus visited Gerasenes twice.  The first time there were two mad men, and the second time He encountered the mad man with Legion inside him.  There were two centurions at Capernaum.  The first went to Jesus, and the second heard about Jesus and sent his Jewish friends to ask Jesus.

As such, any pastor, teacher or disciple who will use the Testimony to teach and study will see for himself the syllabus that the Father had given Jesus to teach us.  It sets in order everything Jesus said and did, from His first words to His last.  This clarity eliminates the confusion, and in my experience, removes the hesitancy, the inaction, the doubt and the disorder from the lives of Christians that no amount of prayer, praise, worship and ministry can remove.

So, praise the Lord for giving us His Testimony about Jesus Christ, and thanks to the elect who laboured so long and hard as a team to allow the Holy Spirit to use them as He has.  To all who visit the Holy Spirit’s Workshop website, the Testimony of the Holy Spirit about Jesus Christ is the reason this ministry was raised up to produce for all to enjoy.

Peace to all on whom God’s favour rests.

Hr. Ed, former manager of the Holy Spirit’s Workshop, Sydney

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Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. [John 18.15]   We do not know who the other disciple is even from the Testimony, but we may speculate that it was John as he tended to describe himself as ‘the disciple’ or ‘this disciple’ in the gospel.  We know what Peter did, but we know very little what the other disciple did.  What indeed did the other disciple who was known to the high priest do?

We know from John 18 that the other disciple went into the courtyard and then came back out to vouch for Peter to let him in by speaking to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. [John 18.15]  Since he was known to the high priest, the high priest may have recognised him and knew that he was there observing all that went on.

So, what was this disciple witness to?  He was witness to the trial of Jesus, the conversation, the concocted evidence, the striking of Jesus as well as the denial of Jesus by Peter.  Peter’s denial of Jesus probably happened right in front of him as it was the girl at the door who challenged Peter first and Peter replied, “I am not.” [John 18.17]

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When Jesus was arrested and taken to Caiaphas’ house for questioning, we know that an unknown disciple and Peter accompanied Him.  The gospels show the accounts of Peter’s denial, and for those of you who know the Testimony of the Holy Spirit, you also know that Peter denied that he was a Galilean and a disciple and that he knew the Lord a total of nine times.  Yet there is no record of the other disciple denying Jesus.  There is no record that this disciple was even questioned, but we know that he was there, for he was the one who arranged for Peter to get into the courtyard.

Why were they, Peter and the unknown disciple, there?  Remember that in the law everything has to be established by two or more witnesses.  The two disciples were there to bear witness to what they were doing to Jesus and the line of questioning they posed to Jesus, so that the injustice that was plotted is recorded.

However, they were there for an even greater and higher purpose, and that is to bear witness that they know Jesus to be the Son of God.  Peter in particular, for to him was given the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that revelation came from the Father.  They were there so that when the high priest asked Jesus the question, “I charge You under oath by the living God:  Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.  Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” [Matthew 26.63; Mark 14.61 The Testimony] and Jesus replied, “I am.  And yes, it is as you say,” [Matthew 26.64; Mark 14.62 The Testimony] the two disciples could testify that what Jesus had answered was true.  It was not the intention of God that the Sanhedrin send Jesus to death on unsubstantiated testimony or lies, but rather, on testimony that is verified by two true witnesses – Peter and the other disciple.  However, neither spoke up and Jesus was crucified for claiming to be the Son of God on testimony that had not been established.

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What is the balance that we must achieve in our ministry?  Jesus showed us… not only was He preaching the word of God, but He was also doing miracles as well.

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He was the One or should they expect another, Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard:  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” [Matthew 11.5; Luke 7.22 The Testimony]

Jesus authenticated Himself to John not on the basis of visions and dreams, or some spiritual revelation or prophecy, but on tangible evidence… on the evidence of what can be seen and heard.  They were good works of the physical realm that no man could imitate.  It was not a feed the hungry campaign or build a new hospital fundraiser; it was an empty the hospital campaign and keep your money fundraiser.

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Two weeks ago, a two months old baby was between life and death because of pneumonia.  Her parents brought her to the hospital in Butuan City.  While they were riding in a passenger van, one of the members of our church and part time staff of the Holy Spirit’s Workshop here in Cabadbaran City was also in the van.  Upon seeing the condition of the child, she offered prayers and laid hands on the dying child while the van travelled at maximum speed to get to the hospital as soon as possible for sake of the child.  After prayers, the baby began to regain her strength.  She opened her eyes and slowly moved her tiny fingers.  When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor was very surprised at the condition of the child.  Since the baby was still weak, she was admitted into the hospital, but she was released the next day and the doctor declared that she is completely healed of pneumonia.  The baby now is in good health and her parents are very thankful that God save their child from death.  Praise the Lord.  To God be the glory.  Amen Holy Spirit.

People have started coming to the Brisbane Holy Spirit’s Workshop.  In the week ending 16 March, we have had four new people come.

On Tuesday night, a young lady came at the request of a friend.  She listened attentively to the teaching on the Kingdom of God.  Afterwards she requested prayer.  Taking her hands into mine, she began to manifest, contort and exhibit demonic characteristics.  For the next three (or more) hours, many demons came out of her.  Some of the things that came out had been in her from early childhood and even the womb.  This lady worked courageously through the experience confessing, repenting, asking for forgiveness and receiving healing.  I have very little experience in casting out demons.  It didn’t matter because the Holy Spirit was educating on what to do and providing pre-emptive ideas throughout the experience.  This was a true witness that Jesus’ words are true.  By the end, this lady was filled with peace and joy.  Amen Holy Spirit.

Another new visitor was a lady who works in the local area.  She has openly expressed anger and cynicism to God because she lost loved ones.  However, she came into the workshop for the first time on Saturday with anxiety and concern about an upcoming operation.  Complications from a hysterectomy meant she could lose part of her bowel and have to wear a sack to compensate.  She had also been suffering from heart palpitations.  I laid hands on her commanding healing and repair to the scarring and bowel areas along with complete repair of her heart.   Her son reported that there were no complications from her surgery on Tuesday and she is recovering well with no sack required.

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There is an old song that starts with these words, and the song concludes that the world needs now is “love, sweet love.”  And for many who are in the church, that is what we try to offer – love of enemies, love of one another, love of God and love of ourselves.  It sounds good and it is good… and that is the problem.  Although love is the greatest and love never fails and God is Love, what the world needs now is not love.  Love may be able to heal a broken heart, but it cannot prevent the heart from being broken in the first place.

We can raise a church that has a powerful ministry healing the sick… both in the flesh where even the blind can see, and those who are injured in the spirit, like those who were raped when they were only children… but it is not until we are able to prevent the injuries to begin with that we will win the war against evil.  History teaches us that every despot who is disposed of is replaced by another one who is worse.  And we know from the word of the Lord that evil will increase on the Earth.  As such, even if we are to become a church that is more powerful than the church in Jerusalem when they had the apostles among them, we will not be able to stop the evil.  We may be able to heal the victims of evil, but we need to be able to stop evil itself from generating more victims.

Jesus healed all who came to Him in Galilee and in the temple during His ministry, and yet a few months later, the church was swamped by the sick, so much so that people were leaving their sick out on the road so that at least Peter’s shadow would fall on them.  There was power in the Jerusalem church, of that there is no doubt.  Unfortunately, even if we are able to raise up such churches again so that there is one in every city and town, it would not be enough.  For a healing ministry only heals the victims, but does nothing to prevent the creation of more victims.  And we are not speaking of victims of heart attacks, strokes or even cancer.  No, I am speaking of victims of things much worse than that.  I am speaking of the victims of incest, rape and violence.  These things inflict the victims with sicknesses that are harder to treat, much less to try and cure.

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When a child is caught doing something wrong and he is faced with punishment, he often begs for forgiveness.  When a criminal is caught, he too often asks or begs for forgiveness.  When we sin, we are taught to ask for forgiveness.  Yet in the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples, the words are, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” [Matthew 6.12]  Indeed, Jesus went as far as teaching, “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” [Matthew 6.15]  That sounds fair, for after all God forgave you, so you should forgive.

That seems to be the message of the parable of the unmerciful servant as well.  After all, the first servant had been forgiven of a much larger debt, so he should forgive the smaller debt.  But he couldn’t.  Why?  Because the money that was owed to him was his hard earned money, but the money forgiven him was not his own.  He was appreciative of being forgiven of the debt, but he never worked for the money.  He did not labour and slave for the money.  He was loaned the money.  He got it without raising a sweat.  But now, the much smaller amount that his fellow servant owed him was his money which he worked for.  It meant something to him and he could not let it go.

Forgiveness has a price.  It is one thing to ask God to forgive us.  It would be like the servant being forgiven his debt by his master.  To be forgiven of a debt is to be forgiven of money you did not work for.  Forgiveness costs the receiver nothing, but forgiveness costs the forgiver everything.  God wants us to forgive those who have sinned against us so that we might come to appreciate the cost of forgiveness.  How many of us have difficulty forgiving?  We hold onto past grievances more tightly than precious gold.  Indeed, for many, the sins perpetrated against them are horrendous, and no one would blame them for not wanting to forgive.

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Anyone who has read the words of Jesus should be familiar with the parable of the sower well enough to know that Jesus was speaking of the condition of the hearts of the people to whom the word was given.  Amazingly enough, with the benefit of hindsight, as we look at the recorded events in the gospels and the epistles, as well as the recorded history of the ‘church’, one finds that the parable of the sower was actually played out through the lives of the eleven and the church they raised.

According to the parable, as the farmer went out to sow his seeds, some fell on the path and were eaten by the birds.  Jesus explained this as His word being snatched away by Satan because the people to whom it was given did not understand it.  This is exactly what happened on resurrection morning as the women brought to the disciples the message of the kingdom again and again, that Jesus had risen, but the disciples did not understand the message.  Luke actually recorded that their words seemed to them like nonsense. [Luke 24.11]  And so they did not go, but went home after inspecting the empty tomb.  The Satan that snatched away those words was men who did not have in mind the things of God.  Ironic, for Peter who had been called just that by the Lord earlier was one of the two who went to the grave and then went home instead of Galilee.  What Jesus had in mind was for them to go to Galilee; what they had in mind was to go and hide.

When Jesus went back to Jerusalem that night and entered into locked room to show Himself to them, they were amazed and filled with joy, [Luke 24.41] and they were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit.  However, like the seed on rocky ground that had no root, the instruction of the Lord was forgotten and after the Lord’s second visit, some, if not all, of them left Jerusalem and went back to Galilee.  They received the word of the Lord with joy, but they did not obey and so the second word also withered, just like the seed on the rock.

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Maurine who is seven years old had dyslexia, which causes the brain to be unable to translate the images received through the eyes or ears.  As a result, she had average intelligence and her learning ability was slow.  Her parents brought her to the workshop and we laid hands on her.  A year later, they came in with a testimony that she has gained her ability to translate what she sees and hears.

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Jesus was indeed a Superstar in every definition of the word.  If Jesus was a 21^st century entertainer, He would be playing to sell out concerts everywhere He went.

During His time, His reputation as being the Man you went to see if anyone of your family or friends or servants was sick was so famous that rulers travelled to seek Him out for their sick children, even Roman centurions sought Him out and were not ashamed to approach Him directly or through intermediaries.  Indeed, in a time when there were no ambulances to transport critical care patients, the people brought to Him their sick so that they could be healed.  And everywhere He went, a crowd formed or followed, and except for the towns that had no faith, no one who was sick was not healed.

People did not go to Jesus for His message, but for His healing miracles.  But having received the miracle, many stayed for the message.

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