When we walk into a church we should be able to experience an intensity of the presence of the Holy Spirit where believers begin to experience spiritual manifestation in laughter, falling over, trembling, prophesying or even received a healing.
The most common in Churches is the manifestation of weeping when the Holy Spirit comes as the Lamb of God to reveal sin with grace and mercy. However, the Holy Spirit could also visit as the Lion of Judah, the warrior with the fire of the Holy Spirit to remove inner hurts, performing physical healing, emotional healing, deliverance or causing a deeper desire and longing to be more intimate with our Lord or even burn away the dross of our lives and the parts of the body that resists God and we become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Read the testimony of a Church Elder to understand his own experience with manifestation through the link below:-
http://pastorpaulang.blogspot.com/2008/11/part-2-all-yor-work-will-praise-you.html
These manifestations happen because there is transference of power. In many occasions power will go out from someone to empower, release, heal or stir up spiritual gifts in others. This is similar to Jesus’ experience when He said “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” (Luke 8:48) The God that we worship is a supernatural God. So it is not surprising that whatever He touches our natural world, there is a supernatural reaction. As a church, it is our responsibility to observe, test, discern and verify whether or not these reactions or manifestations are truly from God. Certainly the acid tests are the Scripture, verifiable universal experiences and the fruit finally.
Manifestation of the Spirit is the result of the presence of the Lord. Where miracle, sign & wonder is absence, so is the presence of God. Each miracle destroys the work of the devil and we perform miracles in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ where He is truly glorified.
In Mark 9:38-40 John told Jesus that they saw a man driving out demons in His name and they told him to stop, because he was not one of us. “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in MY Name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.”
No one could certainly conclude that the Holy Spirit manifest only in the ways known to us, but we should engage an openness to the works of the Holy Spirit and the practice of spiritual gifts. Although we have seen some common manifestations around the world we must come to believe that God had more in store as we are living in end times. God is pouring out His Spirit in great measure to His people. In many occasions, the phenomena such as shaking, falling, laughing, crying, jerking, prophesying, ecstatic utterance as well as many other strange and often misunderstood manifestations is against our will. This strange but wonderful manifestation of the Holy Spirit begins to mold godly Christian lives as a result. It will surely bear fruits when the person surrenders himself totally to the Holy Spirit. When a person encounters a genuine visitation of the Holy Spirit, when measured through time we will see it fulfilled and enjoy the fruit.
Through history, the move of the Holy Spirit has been described as being so dramatic where believers could not handle or understand it. Their main concerns are: “Why all the manifestations and shaking? What is their purpose? Are they biblical? How do you know it’s not from the devil? Many struggle to accept the phenomenal working of the Holy Spirit. Many pastors, elders and believers felt it was not right. When the Holy Spirit fell on the gentiles, the early church also had to wrestle through these types of issues. (Acts 10:44-46)
Peter did not even finish his message when the Holy Spirit fell upon the gentiles with signs and wonders. Peter was greatly criticized for what had happened. We realize not every manifestation has a particular or exact meaning. It is the desire of every church to pray for the Holy Spirit to fill them with more of the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18). Today multitudes of Christians are questioning the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. We pray for a great visitation but we must cordially accept the great Visitor when He comes! If any clarification is required, they should ask God directly in the form of inquiring prayers rather than accusing Christians who surrender themselves to the Holy Spirit and work with Him. Others believe that manifestations have to be biblical. John Wimber says “God is bigger than His book,” while Jesus said, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:39-40). It is possible to be so focused on the meaning of the Word that we limit who God is and what he can do.
Dee Hoetmer quoted these, “I find that the lost and dying receive the mighty presence of the Lord easier than Christians! Many Christians don't ask Lord is this of you, but put up walls if an anointing doesn't fit into their teachings. THEY DO NOT DISCERN BY THE SPIRIT, but are stuck in their learnedness and in their accepted forms and functioning of their previous religious teaching and experience. The Messiah did not come in the form they expected Him to and it was an affront to them. They persecuted Him despite the mighty signs and wonders, despite the truth He spoke, despite the anointing in His life, and so they missed their hour of visitation. In these last days if we do not discern by the Spirit for even our intellect will lead us astray; being influenced by our deceitful wicked hearts and incorrect religious teachings over many years. We need to become again as little children trusting our Father to lead us into all truth and that He is a giver of good gifts. .
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? [ Rom 7:15,24] Being a human like Apostle Paul, I too have experienced what the verses above have described. My flesh is weak and to depend on my flesh to live a holy and victorious life is rather impossible. Many times I have battled against my bad habits and weaknesses and failed in the end. If you have warred against your weaknesses before, you too would echo what Apostle Paul said “What a wretched man I am!
Since the age of fifteen, prior to believing in the Lord, I have started smoking and have been through countless stopping to smoke sessions. I had quitted smoking for a month, a week or an hour but it always end in failure. After receiving Jesus as my Savior, I have also tried numerous smoking cessation sessions. I have also heard a number of testimonies of those who successfully quitted smoking but it didn’t happen to me. On the day before I enter full time ministry at the age of thirty eight, I was still smoking. Since the day I started full time ministry in church, the smoking addiction just mysteriously left me. For more than a year since I started serving in church, I have not smoke a cigarette. Two weeks after I quitted my job in church, I started smoking again. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subjected to death?
Brothers and sisters, have you ever lied over the past three months? Can’t answer the question? I do not dare to answer this question too because knowing or unknowingly, we have all spoken some lies. Take for an example when somebody asks me “Have you eaten?” If I didn’t feel like eating, I would naturally reply “I have eaten already”. But the truth is I have not eaten yet. In John 8:44, it says “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” How could I not be a wretched man when the devil has become my father?
Rom 8:4 says “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Apostle Paul gave us the answer in Romans chapter 8: “Do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” We have the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch are all from the flesh. Only by faith can we live according to the Spirit. Below are some of my experiences of living according to the Spirit as a reference. I must however point out that everybody’s experience is different.
In the past, whenever I have to teach the word of God, I would pray fervently in tongues as to be led by the Holy Spirit. After doing so for an hour, the Holy Spirit will tremendously fill me. When teaching the word of God, I would feel His presence and power. After leaving full time ministry, I didn’t serve and didn’t pray in tongues. Since I was no longer filled with the Spirit, I naturally ceased to live by the Spirit and therefore, no longer bore the fruit of the Spirit.
When I was being empowered in CKRM Malacca, Pastor Paul Ang would frequently use spiritual weapons on me. Now I do understand that spiritual weapons help to remove the blockages in me so that I could be easily filled with the Holy Spirit. After attending just a few “Supernatural & Anointing” ministry on Saturday, I could once again overcome my smoking addiction. I dare not boast as I am aware that the moment I stop living in the Spirit, the power to live a victorious life over smoking will also leave me. As long as I immersed myself in the presence of the Holy Spirit, my life will bear the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Satan is not fearful of the church teaching Christians how to be a good person. As Christians strive to be a better person, sin also pursues more closely behind him. Satan is only afraid that the pastor will teach the Christians how to be filled and be empowered by the Holy Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit.
All of CKRM’s gifting, spiritual weapons and ministry is to remove the strongholds in the Christian so that the Holy Spirit can move freely in him or her.
Bro Chia Chong Hon
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不随从肉体，只随从圣灵 - 谢松汉弟兄
[ 罗 7:15，24 因为我所作的，我自己不明白；我所愿意的，我并不作；我所恨恶的，我倒去作。我真是苦啊！谁能救我脱离这取死的身体呢？] 就和使徒保罗的经历一样，我在这方面也蒙受非常大的考验。我的肉体是软弱的。如果要依靠我的肉体去过圣洁，得胜的生活简直是难上加难。我为生命中的恶习惯和软弱经历了无数次的争战后，总是以失败收场。如你也曾与自己的软弱争战过，你必会和保罗一样的喊说：“ 我真是苦啊！”
我从十五岁就开始吸烟。在还没信主之前，我经历了无数次的戒烟行动。有从一个月，一个星期，甚至是一小时，但都是以失败收场。三十岁接受耶稣成为救主后，也试过好多次的戒烟行动。在教会也听了不少戒烟成功的见证，但神迹就是没发生在我身上。在我三十八岁进入全职服事的前一天，我还在吸烟。也不知道为什么，在我踏进教会服事的第一天，烟瘾竟然离开了我！在教会事奉的一年多内，连一支烟也没吸过。但、当我辞职离开教会的工作后，在短短的两星期里我又固态复明抽回烟了。“我真是苦啊！谁能救我脱离这取死的身体呢？”
弟兄姐妹，请问在过去的三个月内，你有说过谎言吗？答不出来吗？我也不敢答这问题。因为我们时常有意无意，都说了一些谎言。就如有人问我：“吃饱了吗？”我不想吃就很自然的说：“吃过了。”真相是我还没吃。 请别忘了 [约8:44 你们是出于你们的父魔鬼，你们父的私欲，你们偏要行。他从起初是杀人的，不守真理，因他心里没有真理，他说谎是出于自己，因他本来是说谎的，也是说谎之人的父。] 我怎能不苦呢？魔鬼成了我的父。
罗 8:4 说“使律法的义成就在我们这不随从肉体，只随从圣灵的人身上。” 保罗在罗马书第八章就把答案给了我们，[不随从肉体，只随从圣灵]。我们的肉体有五官，视觉，听觉，嗅觉，味觉，触觉，都是属肉体的。只有凭着信心才能进入跟随圣灵。以下是我学习随从圣灵的一些经历，只能当着参考，因为每个人的经历可能都不一样。
以前我要去教导神的话语时，为了随从圣灵，我会不断地在灵里用方言祷告。祷告了大约一个多小时后，圣灵就很大的充满我。在教导神的话语时，我会感到神大有能力的同在。当我离开教会的全职工作，就少了服事，也较少说方言。少了圣灵的充满，当然就活不出跟随圣灵了生命，圣灵的果子也长不出来了。
当我去到马六甲 CKRM 受训， 洪保罗牧师时常把属灵的武器用在我身上。现在我才明白属灵的武器是为了除去我灵里的阻拦，使我更容易被圣灵充满。在我去了几次星期六的恩膏事工后，我又能战胜我的烟瘾。当然我也不敢夸口，我知道当我不再随从圣灵时，能力也会离开我。只要我浸泡在圣灵的同在中，我的生命必会长出圣灵的果子。加 5:22-23 圣灵所结的果子就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、温柔、节制。这样的事，没有律法禁止。
撒旦绝不怕教会教导基督徒如何做好人。当基督徒越做好人，罪就越追着基督徒。撒旦最怕牧师们教导基督徒如何被圣灵充满，得着圣灵的能力，结出圣灵的果子。
CKRM 一切的恩赐，属灵武器，一切的作为，都为了除去基督徒身上的坚固的营垒, 好让圣灵能自由的在基督徒身上运行。
Bro Chia Chong Hon 谢松汉
