Optional or Essential
Hello to Everyone;
Well, my computer is up and ‘sort of’ running. I was without it for the entire week following my last blog. That is called a test of endurance, if you are I. I have a new logic board on order, so I hope my computer functions for the next two weeks as I am on the road. I am off to Spain today, and then to Portugal the following week.
We had the ‘after Easter’ crowd on Sunday. It could be called the ‘non crowd’ weekend. It seems everyone gets their fix on Easter Sunday and then vanish as the moment passes. This seems to be the trend throughout America.
I was inspired to preach a message yesterday as to the real reason that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Did He simply come to die for our sins, or did He come to accomplish some eternal plan for transformational power and life to the world? I believe He came to reconcile us to our heavenly Father so that we can be sons and daughters of the source of life’s inheritance for the entire world to come. The goodness of God prevailed when mercy triumphed over judgment and the power of God is here to clothe His people with the amazing power of His grace.
After Jesus rose from the dead he spent another 27 days in visitations with His disciples and things of heaven that I do not know. He then ascended to heaven and poured out the presence of His Holy Spirit 10 days later. The disciples didn’t have time to merely remember the day that Jesus died and rose. They had new experiences to discover in knowing Him.
In Matthew we find the great commission that He gave His disciples concerning the future and the world. He told them that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him and that now they were to go and make disciples of all nations, submerge them into the identity of God, teach them to be as He is, and know His manifest presence throughout the ages (Mt. 28:18-20). What an awesome testimony of purpose and destiny! Jesus had come to them, spoken peace, and breathed upon them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (Jn. 20:21,22). I believe something happened when Jesus breathed upon them. The saw Him after His resurrection, touched Him, and received the breath of His presence in them to be joined to God in their hearts in perfect peace. This happened to me May 12, 1973. I saw Him, I touched Him as He reached out to me, and He came into my heart by the breath of His Spirit.
This was the case with the disciples those many years ago. But that wasn’t enough! Jesus had told them that He would send them the Comforter who would be with them, as He was with them, but He would also be ‘in them”. I believe that when Jesus breathed upon them the Comforter came within them. I know this by the word, and by experience (Jn. 14:16-18). The testimony of the Spirit of God within them was awesome, but it still wasn’t enough. Jesus told them that the Comforter, the Promise, had to also come ‘upon them’ (Lk. 24:44-49). They had to have the witness of Christ within them, but also the clothing of Christ upon them. They had to be “CLOTHED IN POWER” (Acts 1:8-11). Is this optional, or is this essential?
Jesus didn’t come to give us a ticket to heaven. He didn’t come to give us a get out of hell free card. He came to get heaven in us and upon so that the testimony of God’s love could come to the world. The testimony of God had to be in us and upon us to fulfill the great purpose of God in the earth. Ten days after His ascension He poured out His Holy Spirit upon them while they hungered for His Promise in the upper room. The person and power of God came and they became ‘witnesses to Him’ in the world. God doesn’t want us to tell people about Jesus, He wants us to be a witness ‘to Him’. He is both Lord and Christ. He is the power to change us within and the anointing of life upon us.
Forty days after His crucifixion there was a fulfillment of His plan for the rest of our lives in a relationship with Him. Many people get excited about the ‘remember when’ day known as Easter, but fewer live their lives with the full testimony of His living presence. Is being submerged in His Holy Spirit optional, or is it essential? Maybe we should take these days following Resurrection Sunday and seek another level in knowing Him in the power of His resurrection. Jesus came so that you and I could be changed within and be clothed with power so that we can accomplish the purpose for which He came.
Think about it, seek it, expect it, and live it,
Apostle Ted J. Hanson
Well, my computer is up and ‘sort of’ running. I was without it for the entire week following my last blog. That is called a test of endurance, if you are I. I have a new logic board on order, so I hope my computer functions for the next two weeks as I am on the road. I am off to Spain today, and then to Portugal the following week.
We had the ‘after Easter’ crowd on Sunday. It could be called the ‘non crowd’ weekend. It seems everyone gets their fix on Easter Sunday and then vanish as the moment passes. This seems to be the trend throughout America.
I was inspired to preach a message yesterday as to the real reason that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Did He simply come to die for our sins, or did He come to accomplish some eternal plan for transformational power and life to the world? I believe He came to reconcile us to our heavenly Father so that we can be sons and daughters of the source of life’s inheritance for the entire world to come. The goodness of God prevailed when mercy triumphed over judgment and the power of God is here to clothe His people with the amazing power of His grace.
After Jesus rose from the dead he spent another 27 days in visitations with His disciples and things of heaven that I do not know. He then ascended to heaven and poured out the presence of His Holy Spirit 10 days later. The disciples didn’t have time to merely remember the day that Jesus died and rose. They had new experiences to discover in knowing Him.
In Matthew we find the great commission that He gave His disciples concerning the future and the world. He told them that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him and that now they were to go and make disciples of all nations, submerge them into the identity of God, teach them to be as He is, and know His manifest presence throughout the ages (Mt. 28:18-20). What an awesome testimony of purpose and destiny! Jesus had come to them, spoken peace, and breathed upon them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (Jn. 20:21,22). I believe something happened when Jesus breathed upon them. The saw Him after His resurrection, touched Him, and received the breath of His presence in them to be joined to God in their hearts in perfect peace. This happened to me May 12, 1973. I saw Him, I touched Him as He reached out to me, and He came into my heart by the breath of His Spirit.
This was the case with the disciples those many years ago. But that wasn’t enough! Jesus had told them that He would send them the Comforter who would be with them, as He was with them, but He would also be ‘in them”. I believe that when Jesus breathed upon them the Comforter came within them. I know this by the word, and by experience (Jn. 14:16-18). The testimony of the Spirit of God within them was awesome, but it still wasn’t enough. Jesus told them that the Comforter, the Promise, had to also come ‘upon them’ (Lk. 24:44-49). They had to have the witness of Christ within them, but also the clothing of Christ upon them. They had to be “CLOTHED IN POWER” (Acts 1:8-11). Is this optional, or is this essential?
Jesus didn’t come to give us a ticket to heaven. He didn’t come to give us a get out of hell free card. He came to get heaven in us and upon so that the testimony of God’s love could come to the world. The testimony of God had to be in us and upon us to fulfill the great purpose of God in the earth. Ten days after His ascension He poured out His Holy Spirit upon them while they hungered for His Promise in the upper room. The person and power of God came and they became ‘witnesses to Him’ in the world. God doesn’t want us to tell people about Jesus, He wants us to be a witness ‘to Him’. He is both Lord and Christ. He is the power to change us within and the anointing of life upon us.
Forty days after His crucifixion there was a fulfillment of His plan for the rest of our lives in a relationship with Him. Many people get excited about the ‘remember when’ day known as Easter, but fewer live their lives with the full testimony of His living presence. Is being submerged in His Holy Spirit optional, or is it essential? Maybe we should take these days following Resurrection Sunday and seek another level in knowing Him in the power of His resurrection. Jesus came so that you and I could be changed within and be clothed with power so that we can accomplish the purpose for which He came.
Think about it, seek it, expect it, and live it,
Apostle Ted J. Hanson
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