Let it Rain!

Source:
Acts 1:4-8 (* King James Version)
Matthew 21:1-11 (* The Message Version)
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Open your innermost spirit to the filling of the HOLY SPIRIT, the precious gift from GOD FATHER!

LET IT RAIN!
LET IT RAIN!
OPEN THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN! (repeat)

FEEL THE WINGS OF YOUR LOVE!
FEEL THE WINDS OF THE SPIRIT!
NOW THE HEARTBEAT OF HEAVEN !
LET US HEAR!

Luke 11:13
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Ephesians 1:13
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Three distinct works of the Holy Spirit:

“para” (with)– The Spirit draws a person to Christ (John 14:17; 16:8-11)

“en” (in)– The Spirit comes to live inside the believer (John 14:17, 20,23; 20:22; Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 4:6-7)

“epi” (upon)–The Spirit comes upon the believer in supernatural, miracle working power
(Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 8:16; 10:44; 19:6; John 7:38-39)

Paraclete comes from the Koine Greek word παράκλητος (paráklētos, that can signify “one who consoles or comforts, one who encourages or uplifts; hence refreshes, and/or one who intercedes on our behalf as an advocate in court”).[1]

The word for “Paraclete” is passive in form, and etymologically (originally) signified “called to one’s side”. The active form of the word, parakletor, is not found in the New Testament but is found in Septuagint in Job 16:2 in the plural, and means “comforters”, in the saying of Job regarding the “miserable comforters” who failed to rekindle his spirit in his time of distress.[2]
[edit]“Paraclete” in Classical Greek

The term is not common in non-Jewish texts.[3] The best known use is by Demosthenes:
Citizens of Athens, I do not doubt that you are all pretty well aware that this trial has been the center of keen partisanship and active canvassing, for you saw the people who were accosting and annoying you just now at the casting of lots.1 But I have to make a request which ought to be granted without asking, that you will all give less weight to private entreaty or personal influence than to the spirit of justice and to the oath which you severally swore when you entered that box. You will reflect that justice and the oath concern yourselves and the commonwealth, whereas the importunity and party spirit of advocates[4] serve the end of those private ambitions which you are convened by the laws to thwart, not to encourage for the advantage of evil-doers. (Demosthenes On the False Embassy 19:1)

EPI or from the Greek
The first usage of epi, as related to holy spirit is found in John 1:33, “And I knew him [Jesus] not: but He [God] that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, ‘Upon [epi] whom thou shalt see the spirit descending, and remaining on [epi] him [Jesus], the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost.’” Now, because Jesus is the risen Lord and Savior, it is available for holy spirit to permanently come upon anybody.

Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive [lambano] power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon [epi] you…” During the past teachings it was established that to receive holy spirit means the point in time that people speak in tongues. Here, we get more information. After people start speaking in tongues, the holy spirit is considered to be in a condition of pressing downward from heaven to the person filled with holy spirit, and has truly reached its mark.

Acts 2:3, “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon [epi] each of them.” This scripture directly ties speaking in tongues with holy spirit pressing downward from heaven to the spirit-filled person, having reached its mark. Please notice that “epi” is not used in the context of being filled with holy spirit, but with speaking in tongues. The first 12 apostles were first filled with holy spirit. Then they got the vision of cloven tongues sitting upon each of them, and they immediately began to speak in tongues.

Acts 8:16, “For as yet he was fallen upon [epi] none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Seen in the context of verse 15, the word “epi” is used in direct relation to the condition of receiving [lambano] holy spirit.

Acts 10:44, “While Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Ghost fell on [epi] all them which heard the word.” How did they know this? See verse 46, “For they heard them speak with tongues.”

Acts 19:6, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on [epi] them; and they spoke with tongues…” The laying on of hands was according to specific revelation from God, and was not a generally required condition for people to speak in tongues. Once again, from the context of verses 2-6, speaking in tongues is inextricably tied to the use of “epi” in the context of the Holy Ghost.

At first glance it would appear that receiving the Holy Ghost and being filled with holy spirit are one and the same. This thinking permeates throughout most of the Christian churches. But it may not be accurately true. It might make sense because it’s easy to mentally digest and has been passed down over many generations. Yet by rightly dividing God’s word, it can be seen that God clearly distinguishes between being filled with holy spirit and receiving the Holy Ghost. Once this distinction can be seen, we can then see that receiving the Holy Ghost is related to speaking in tongues.

Be filled my dear one. Let the Father fill your empty (or near empty) soul of all that is against God and allow Elohim to graciously fill you with more of HIMSELF.

PRAY THIS PRAYER:
Father, I want to receive and embrace YOUR HOLY SPIRIT! Let your LOVE RAIN DOWN ON ME even now. LET IT RAIN!

Before you go, read this special devotional by Rick Renner:

They Shall Speak With New Tongues!

Mark 16:17

Regardless of the denomination to which you belong or what you have been taught to believe, it is an irrefutable fact that Jesus said believers would speak with new tongues. In fact, Jesus affirmed that speaking in new tongues would be one of the supernatural signs that would follow believers!

The first example of speaking in tongues is found in Acts 2:1-4, where the Bible says, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Of all the instances where people spoke in tongues in the book of Acts, this is the most famous example—perhaps because it was the first time this phenomenon ever occurred and thus set the pattern for believers to be filled with the Spirit and to speak in tongues. But this instance is very unique from any other instance recorded in the book of Acts, for several miracles occurred that day when believers spoke in tongues for the first time.

There is so much we could write about speaking in tongues; after all, entire books have been written and devoted to this wonderful subject. But today let’s look at the specific events that occurred the first time people ever spoke in tongues.

On the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:5, 6 tells us a “multitude” was gathered in Jerusalem from every nation under Heaven. The word “multitude” is the Greek word plethos, which is used no less than twenty-five times in the Gospels to denote a massive, huge crowd of people. This is very important, for it tells us that far more foreigners were in the crowd than were believers who had been filled with the Spirit. Acts 2:9-11 tells us that in the crowd that day were Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; dwellers of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya near Cyrene; strangers from Rome, both Jews and proselytes; and both Cretes and Arabians.

The believers who had just been filled with the Spirit were speaking in tongues so loudly as they exited the upper room and entered the streets that the entire crowd could hear them speaking. The crowd was amazed at what they were hearing. Acts 2:6 says they were “… confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”

The word “confounded” is the Greek word suncheo, which means to perplex; to stun; to bewilder; to baffle; to stupefy; to amaze; to confound; or to cause an astonishment that literally throws people into a state of confusion. The word “heard” is the Greek word akouo, which simply means to hear. The word “speak” is the word lalouton, which means to speak, but the Greek tense presents the picture of people continuously speaking in tongues. In fact, this Greek word for “speak” is the same word used to describe someone who speaks fluently in his own or in some other language. This clearly shows us that the believers were speaking nonstop in tongues as they entered the streets that day.

But notice the end of Acts 2:6, where it says every man heard them speak “in his own language.” The word “language” is the Greek word dialektos, which is where we get the word dialect. This means the believers were not heard speaking only in different languages, but with all the specific dialects, idioms, phrases, vernacular, and regional accents that were used in each geographical location from which the listeners came.

Consider this: There were only 120 believers speaking in tongues, and this was a massive crowd of people. So that means this small group of 120 believers must have been speaking in hundreds of different dialects! To know a language is one thing, but to know the different dialects of another language requires years of study and the highest skill. This would be amazing for a group of highly educated language specialists, but for a group of Galilaeans to speak so fluently in so many different dialects was simply unheard of—thus, the reason the listening crowd was so baffled and stunned.

Acts 2:7 lets us know that the majority of the believers who came out of the upper room speaking in tongues that day were Galilaeans, giving further cause for the international crowd to be so confounded. Galilaeans were simple people, not known for their education or wealth. Their labor, work, profession, and way of life were all primarily connected to the region of Galilee, so they had no reason to know many foreign languages. This is why the people reacted the way they did in Acts 2:7: “And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?”

In Acts 2:7, the word “amazed” is the Greek word existimi, which means to be beside oneself or to be out of one’s head. It is the picture of one who is so stunned and amazed that he stands speechless—nearly paralyzed with shock. The word “marvelled” is the Greek word thaumadzo, which means to wonder or to stand in awe of. In our day, we might define it as one who is bowled over by something he has heard, witnessed, or seen. There is no doubt that the crowd that day was perplexed as they listened to these Galilaeans speaking in so many different languages and specific dialects.

But were the disciples supernaturally speaking in known languages that day?

Some have tried to categorically state that those who came out from the upper room that day supernaturally spoke in known human languages. But Paul specifically wrote that speaking in tongues is not speaking in a known language. In First Corinthians 14:2, Paul said, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him….” That word unknown is italicized in the King James Version because it doesn’t appear in the Greek text; it was supplied by the translators to affirm that Paul was not referring to known human languages; he was writing about a supernatural prayer language that is known only to God.

According to Paul’s words in First Corinthians 14:13-15, speaking in tongues is a spiritual language—never a known language. It is so supernatural and unknown to man that it cannot be understood, not even by the speaker himself, unless he prays for the ability to interpret what he is saying. Since this is Paul’s very clear teaching about speaking in tongues, it emphatically asserts that on the Day of Pentecost, the believers did not speak in known human languages, but in a supernatural, unknown prayer language, just as believers speak in tongues today.

However, on the Day of Pentecost, a special miracle occurred. The believers spoke in tongues—but by the time that supernatural language reached the ears of the listeners, they “heard” a message in their own distinct dialects. This is why Acts 2:6 says that “… every man heard them speak in his own language.” Acts 2:8 says, “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” And Acts 2:11 tells us that the listeners said, “… we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”

On the Day of Pentecost, the first great work of God was to fill the believers with the Holy Spirit. The second great work was to liberate their human spirits so they could pray in tongues and worship God in the Spirit. The third great work occurred when the believers spoke in other tongues and God supernaturally translated those tongues in the ears of the listeners so that each member of the audience “heard” them speaking in his or her own language.

It is amazing what happens when God’s people open up to let Him work through them! When the believers in the book of Acts were filled with the Spirit and began to regularly speak in tongues, a door to supernatural power was opened. The power unleashed through speaking in tongues is evident throughout the book of Acts and is still in operation today.

There are several instances in the book of Acts where believers prayed and worshiped God in tongues. This was the norm, not the exception—a common practice that was expected to occur in the life of any person who was filled with the Spirit. And just as the early believers freely and fluently prayed in the Spirit, God has enabled us to do the same, if we will but open our hearts, open our mouths, and let our spirits speak to God.

How long has it been since you prayed in other tongues and allowed God’s supernatural power to operate through you? Why don’t you take a few minutes today to pray and praise in the Spirit? It will bring a divine operation of the supernatural into your day!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I thank You for filling me with the Spirit and for giving me the ability to pray and to praise You in a supernatural language. My spirit longs to pray, to express itself, and to worship You. My own mind and intellect is so limited that I don’t always know what to say or how to express myself. But when I pray and praise in the Spirit, I am very aware that I am praying perfectly and praising You on the highest level. Thank You for this wonderful ability. I want to pray in the Spirit and to worship You with all of my inner man!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am filled with the Spirit of God and that I regularly pray in the Spirit. God liberated my inner man to speak to Him on the day I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. From that time until now, I have had the ability to speak in a supernatural spiritual language. I refuse to neglect or ignore this ability God has given me; therefore, I regularly pray in tongues. As a result, I am growing stronger and more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and I have a continual operation of divine, supernatural activity in my life!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Sparkling Gems from the Greek by Rick Renner