GOD BEARING WITNESS
Thursday – July 6, 2017
The Lord is so very good! He has given us His Prophets who have spoken Truth from the first day and will speak Truth until the last day. Welcome back to our Bible Study from the wonderful Book of Hebrews presented by Dr. Wood and The Three Minute Word publications. I am in the midst of speaking about God bearing witness through His people of the gospel (the good news). Brother and sister the Kingdom of God is back in the earth and with it a great salvation. Let’s review our primary text and then move back into the Book of Mark.
Hebrews 2:4 (KJV)
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?
Our text tells us that the preaching of this good news will be confirmed by God with signs and wonders, various miracles, and the operation of various gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the will of God. You may remember that the Apostle Paul said that he was not coming to Corinth just to preach but he was coming to demonstrate the gifts and power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:4 (KJV)
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
This is not to be present only in the lives of those in the five-fold ministry but in all our lives. When and how did this become lost to the Church? The supernatural needs to be natural or expected and seamless evidence of God in our lives. We don’t need to work this up with the right music or soulful words. We need but listen to that sweet small voice and do it and God will do the rest. The passage below does not start off saying that all to follow is only for a very few, only those in the Five-fold ministry. Brother and sister, we are all in ministry. The persons ordained to the Five-Fold Ministry are to help us to mature in our work of the ministry.
Ephesians 4:11-12 (KJV)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Well saints of God, looks like it is time for us to get off our duff and get about our assignments in the Kingdom of God. Now to the passage below focusing on the sixteenth verse.
Mark 16:15-20 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Here in this sixteenth verse we find that to be saved, to obtain this great salvation spoken of in Hebrews, one must believe the good news about the Kingdom of God. If the person that hears about this great salvation, this good news chooses to reject it they are not damned anew as the text of Mark 16:16 seems to suggest but the person remains damned by choice (John 3:18). Remember the world, the people of the world system, are to not only hear the good news but are to see it in action. What about this thing of water baptism or even the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a prerequisite to salvation? It seems to me that a common error is the presumption is that the word ‘baptism’ referred to here and elsewhere is water baptism. However, look at the context and tell me the basis of that assumption. The short answer is that there is no context to establish the need for water baptism to finish the work of salvation. There is also context here or elsewhere that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation. Salvation is free, a gift obtained by faith in obedience (love) to the gospel. This Greek word translated to English as ‘baptized’ means to be fully wet, covered wholly with a fluid. A very similar passage is found in Matthew, spoken by Jesus in the same timeframe as the Mark passage.
Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Water in the Scripture is symbolic for the Word of God, the Word is Jesus, we are to be immersed in Jesus, wholly focused and committed to Him and our work in the Kingdom of God. The foregoing passage expands that to include the whole of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are to be immersed in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Full and complete immersion and surrender to the ways of God fully backed by the Power of God requires the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our text above in Matthew 28 references the Baptism of the Holy Spirit but not as a prerequisite to salvation but as an integral part of going and teaching all nations. Without the Holy Spirit, you can only tell the good news and there will be no demonstration of the Power of God in the life of the speaker or in the ministry. Our primary and secondary texts make it clear that the preaching of the good news by itself will not get the job done. By that I mean it is not going to bring us into the tremendous harvests and manifestations of God necessary to the end of days. God bearing witness to our speaking of the good news and our lives must be accompanied by all that is mentioned in Hebrews 2:4 and Mark 16:15-20. Remember we (all of us) are to be doing the works that Jesus did and the greater things.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
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