Holy Spirit?

"You'd think the trinity was the Father, Son and Holy Scriptures versus the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

Pastor Tom Hypes posted this quote on his facebook earlier today and it got me to thinking.... thinking which of course led to blogging :)

The context of the quote (which you can read for yourself by clicking the quote) is that we often miss the mark when it comes to intimacy with Jesus. We get so busy working For Jesus that we do not stop to see if we are working With Jesus! The author's friend gave the quote above to describe the state of the church today. Somewhere along the line we got too disturbed by the moving of the Holy Spirit, that it became easier to study & memorize scripture than to actively engage in the Spiritual side of the Christian walk.

Growing up there were basic core beliefs that built the foundation for my walk with God. All scriptural and true, but incomplete in that there was not the fullness of what Jesus taught, proclaimed, and made available to us!

This past Christmas I had a few hours to myself in which to read the Christmas story in Luke and to reflect on the events. I felt as though my eyes had been opened and I was reading it for the first time! The supernatural events that surround the birth & ministry of Christ are breath taking! What really shocked me was that many of the occurrences that happened, are today seen as fanatical and nonscriptural!!

Can I share just some snippets?

Luke 1:5-25
Zechariah the priest, received an Angelic encounter while in the temple and was given a Prophecy about his son yet to be conceived! The son would be a Nazirite and be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb!! (ahem, this is prior to the Acts 2 pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and yet John was still filled!!) not only would he be filled, but he would go out in the spirit & power of Elijah!

Luke 1:26-38
Mary received an Angelic encounter from the same angel Gabriel. She too received a word from the Lord concerning her son, whose very birth & life was the fulfillment of many prophecies! She was even told that Zechariah & Elizabeth were pregnant, a sign that nothing is impossible with God!

Luke 1:67
After John the Baptist was born "Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied"!

Luke 2: 8-20
When Jesus was born an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and proclaimed the Messiah! and suddenly there was a multitude of heavenly host praising God!

Luke 2: 25-35
"There was a man named Simeon who was righteous, devout, and waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple" and when Mary & Joseph brought Jesus before him, Simeon blessed, proclaimed, and spoke of things to come.

Luke 2:36-38
There was also a Prophetess, Anna. She had been married for 7 years and then had spent the rest of her life in the temple worshipping with fasting & prayer night & day!! (There are some even now who are called with a similar Anna Anointing)
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Now that's only the first two chapters in Luke! let alone Jesus' ministry of radical healing, miracles, and delivering people from demons!
Jesus Himself said in John 14:12"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." (notice Jesus did not limit these works to just the disciples & apostles of His time)

Yet even with such a foundation of Angelic Encounters, Prophecy, Filling of the Spirit & Walking in the Spirit, Healing, Deliverance, Dreams & Revelations......many believers would scoff at such words, condemning their use & those who live in that reality......have we really exchanged the Glory of God for something more comfortable & manageable? (Romans 1:19-32)