EVIDENCE OF THE MANIFESTATION OF HOLY SPIRIT IN MAN
(5) Perform Miracles and Wonders
Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are able to perform miracles and wonders. This is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is with them, for those who received the Holy Spirit are sent by the Lord Jesus Christ and have His presence in them. They are able to have the authority like the Lord Jesus Christ and perform the same work as Him.
John 20:21-22 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
John 14:16-27 16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. 25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
1John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1John 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
John 20:22-23 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Matt. 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
The Lord Jesus Christ promised His believers the ability to perform miracles and wonders when He was about to ascend to heaven. However, one can only perform miracles and wonders through the working of the Holy Spirit, for “…these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; (Mark 16:17). Therefore, a person without the Holy Spirit cannot do anything for the Bible tells us: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
The Lord Jesus Christ instructed the apostles to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit that comes from above, and they shall receive power and authority.
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The apostles obeyed the instruction of the Lord Jesus Christ as they prayed and made supplication at the holy city. On the Day of Pentecost, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and received power to testify and spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostles preached the truth boldly, performed many miracles and wonders, healed sicknesses and cast out demons.
Acts 4:29-31 29And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Acts 8:6-7 6And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
Acts 9:32-34 32And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. 33And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. 34And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.
Acts 13:9-12, 52 9Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. 52And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 14:3 Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
The above Bible verses record the miracles and wonders performed by the apostles who went out to preach and were filled with the Holy Spirit. The epistles of Paul to the churches also mention that the power of the Holy Spirit works miracles and wonders.
Rom. 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed
Heb. 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
This shows that the ability to perform miracles and wonders is an evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit. However, we should take note that the devil can also use witchcraft in order to deceive the people to resist the truth.
2Thess. 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders
Rev. 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
During the Apostolic period, there was a man called Simon who used sorcery in the city to bewitch the people.
Acts 8:9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
There was also a man called Elymas who used sorcery to confound the words of God and such people will arise in the days to come.
Acts 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
2Pet. 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Although the devil will seek to cause chaos, the Bible tells us that miracles and witchcraft can be discerned through trials.
1John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Cor. 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
Concerning worldly churches which are unable to perform miracles, it has fulfilled the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”.
Matt. 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
(6) Bear Spiritual Good Fruits
Today, many members of other churches claim that they have received the Holy Spirit and they say, “We have borne fruits, showed our love and did charity work…” These words appear to be true but they are actually falsehood. It is important for a person who has received the Holy Spirit to bear spiritual fruits. However, spiritual fruits do not refer to charity or philanthropy, as claimed by the other churches. This is because there are philanthropists all over the world and Christians are not the only ones who can do charity. Therefore, spiritual fruits do not refer to performing charity work. Essentially, since the members of other churches are not born of the Holy Spirit, how can there be fruits to be reaped?
What are the fruits of the Spirit?
According to the book of Galatians 5:22, they are “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance”. However, it is easier said than done as the ability to bear all these fruits is not achieved overnight. According to the letter, these are virtues upheld by man and it seems that educated men in the world also display such virtues. However, the virtues that men display are not the fruits of the Spirit but the fruits of the world and the virtues are of the flesh. Therefore, the basis of the claim made by other churches is as mentioned above. It is unrelated to the fruits of the Spirit.
These churches have such belief because they do not have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet they wish to entice others to have such a belief. As such, these churches have no choice but to claim that they bear the fruits of the Spirit and use it as a bait to entice others. Actually, the Lord Jesus Christ already exposed the hypocritical works done by these false preachers and rebuked them with the wrath of righteousness (Matthew chapter 23).
The fruits of the Spirit are very noble and cannot be attained by the people of the world. Instead, only those who are spiritual are able to gradually bear these spiritual fruits. However, the people of the world are unable to comprehend. The abovementioned nine fruits of the Spirit shall not be explained in detail here and only two or three of them will be briefly explained so that everyone can understand the fruits of the Spirit.
i. Love
This does not refer to the love between a couple or charity work, but it refers to the true love that comes from God. It is initially manifested by the Lord Jesus Christ who sacrificed Himself for the redemption of our sins and granting us eternal life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
1John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Rom. 5:8-10 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
The believers who are sent by the Lord Jesus Christ are willing to sacrifice for the Word and are doers of the virtues as recorded in the book of 1 Cor. 13:4-7.
1Cor. 13:4-7 4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
True love is manifested when one preaches everlasting life to a person so that he can receive the great grace of eternal life. However, one must rely on the Holy Spirit wholeheartedly in order to be doers of love. This is because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit who gives life.
Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
If what a man does is not for the love that gives eternal life, it is not profitable to him. This includes preaching heresies which is not the work of the Holy Spirit, performing charity work by giving alms or even sacrificing himself for others.
1Cor. 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
ii. Joy
It does not refer to ordinary joy, but the joy of receiving the Holy Spirit which no one can take away from us. It is the joy of spiritual life filling the belly and springing up into everlasting life.
Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
True joy is experienced by members of this church who have received the Holy Spirit. The churches without the Holy Spirit certainly will not be able to experience this. Although members of other churches also claim that they have joy, this so called joy does not exceed the scope of joy defined by the people of the world. The people of the world do not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to experience true spiritual joy. The joy known to the world is unfounded, similarly to the words recorded in the book of John 4:13, “whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again”. Therefore, the joy of the world is not comparable to the spiritual fruit of joy that we bear.
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
iii. Peace
The Bible tells us: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9).
Worldly churches surely do not have this peace because there are strife, sedition and hatred in their churches. These churches attack, accuse and fight among themselves. Even the nations that embraced Christianity created weapons of mass destruction to destroy world peace and cause chaos in the world. Hence, can they be born of the Holy Spirit and be the children of God with peace?
What are the characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ “… shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory” (Matt. 12:19-20); and “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth” (Isa. 53:7).
When Paul drew his sword to hurt his enemy, the Lord Jesus Christ said to him, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matt. 26:52).
We must imitate the Lord Jesus Christ because He is the “Prince of Peace, of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end”.
Isa. 9:6-7 6He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
1Cor. 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Paul also said the Lord Jesus Christ had entrusted him to preach the gospel of peace.
2Cor. 5:18-19 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Eph. 2:16-17 16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are born of the Holy Spirit will surely bear the fruits of peace. This is manifested by spiritual believers of this church. From here we know that troublemakers who love strife and sedition do not have the Holy Spirit.
(7) To be United as One
Last but not least, those who have received the Holy Spirit must produce its evidence by uniting as one to form the true church. As those who have received the Holy Spirit are able to bear the fruits of peace, naturally they will bond with one another and be united as one. If one studies Eph. 4:3-4, Eph. 1:23, Col. 1:24, 1Cor. 12:12 and Rom. 12:5, he will be able to understand this important doctrine.
The Bible further tells us that by being “…likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Phil. 2:2), the spiritual people will naturally unite as one and form the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e. the true church. Hence, the spiritual people will not be like the people of the flesh who are divided into hundreds of denominations. Paul had warned us, saying “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1Cor. 1:13). With much more clarity, Jude said, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jude 19).
This proves that the hundreds of denominations of Christianity do not have the Holy Spirit. Since the church is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, the saints are connected in this body by one life. This life enables the saints to live. This life is the Holy Spirit. As such, those who have received the Holy Spirit will surely be united as one in the same church and will not be separated.
John 15:1-5 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Here, the true vine refers to the true church while the many branches refer to the members of the true church. The branches must abide in the vine and cannot be detached from it. If the branches leave the vine, they will wither. Similarly, if the members leave the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, they will decay. As such, how can there still be life or the Holy Spirit in them?
Those who are deceived and enticed to enter these lifeless worldly churches are the most pitiful ones because they think they have life, but in actual fact, they are dead.
Rev. 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
The true church that is formed by believers who are united as one is full of life and has been revived to open the door of grace in all places. If one repents and departs from this city that will be destroyed, and enter our church that has the presence of the Holy Spirit to seek salvation, he will have a chance to obtain the crown of eternal life.
Rev. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Jer. 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.
God revealed through a prophecy, “And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain” (Zech. 14:17).
This means that members of other churches will not be saved if they do not enter into the spiritual true church (the New Jerusalem) during the last days to pray for the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit or “rain” will not be poured down on their worldly churches. If one can pray and receive the Holy Spirit in worldly churches, then the promise of a united church and the words of the Holy Spirit are not fulfilled.
Before the Lord Jesus Christ left the world, He prayed numerously that His church may be united as one.
John 17:11, 22-23 11And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
The apostles also mentioned that the church is united as one. The apostles prophesied that during the last days, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” (Eph. 1:10).
Eze. 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Eze. 36:24-26 24For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze. 39:28-29 28Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. 29Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
The above verses record the reason why the prophets prophesied that God would pour down the Holy Spirit to call His people to return to Him and be united as one during the last days. Indeed, this prophecy is fulfilled in this church of the latter rain.
Hallelujah! May all glory be to God.
(The End)
(Extracts from Holy Spirit Times - 1936 Volume:11 No:1,2)