God is Spirit and the proper way to have close intimacy is to meditate and feed His words in our human spirit; for Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:6, “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant–not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
Joshua 1:8
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
The living word of God in the Bible is very powerful that when we meditate on it, we put our carnality (flesh or soulish being) into a deep sleep which is beyond our normal sleep level. It means that we are put on the cross and ‘die to self’ by allowing the word of God to take hold of us totally. Then, our spirit being (subconscious) is awaken to see, walk and live in the Spirit, for 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” John 6:63 says, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you - they are full of the Spirit and life".
Galatians 5:16
Walking in the Spirit
I say then: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh".
Galatians 5:17
"For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish".
Galatians 5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Baptism of Fire (Matthew 3:11-12) is to cleanse, purify to burn away our carnality, the fear, doubt, unbelief, disobedience and all the dross of our lives, leaving behind the zeal, fire and the love for our Lord to empower us to fulfill His call and purpose in our lives.
With the hinderances remove, we will have a deep desire to mediate on His words and get deeper into the Spirit to have union with Christ which is a spiritual reality, that all of us have the privilege to demonstrate this reality as per:-
John 14:11
“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”
1 Corinthians 2:4
“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.”
Romans 15:18-19
“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 4:20 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
The TEST of true Christianity, as opposed to the false, is the demonstration of God's power. Not a doctrinal test, but a power test! When the Holy Spirit comes in power, arguments end. It's a bit like Elijah challenging the 450 prophets of Baal to a duel. "Let's offer a sacrifice, and the God who sends fire on the sacrifice, we'll acknowledge He is God, OK?" When God sent fire to consume the sacrifice, the altar and even the water in the ditch around it, the people fell on their faces and cried out, "The Lord! He is God! The Lord! He is God!" Argument settled.
This is the truth to preach Christ crucified, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel–not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:17)
Ps Paul K P Ang
Arsenal of Fire Global
www.aofglobal.com
June 13, 2018
与神密切的关系和目的是什么？
上帝是灵，如何与神有密切的关系？我们必须思想并喂养祂的话进入我们的灵。因为保罗在哥林多后书3:6中说：“祂叫我们能承当这新约的执事，不是凭着字句，乃是凭着精意；因为那字句是叫人死，精意是叫人活。”
约书亚记1:8
“这律法书不可离开你的口，总要昼夜思想，好使你谨守遵行这书上所写的一切话。如此，你的道路就可以哼通，凡事顺利。”
在圣经里上帝的话是大有能力的，当我们昼夜思想神的话语的时候，我们的肉体（或魂）进入超出我们正常睡眠的水平。这意味着我们被放在十字架上，通过让上帝的话语完全掌握我们而“向自我死”。然后，我们的灵（潜意识）将被唤醒而看到，行走并活在圣灵里，因为哥林多后书4:18说：“原来我们不是顾念所见的，乃是顾念所不见的；因为所见的是暂时的，所不见的是永远的。”
约翰福音6:63说：“叫人活着的乃是灵，肉体是无益的。我对你们所说的话就是灵，就是生命。”
加拉太书5:16
顺着圣灵而行
“我说，你们当顺着圣灵而行，就不放纵肉体的情欲了。”
加拉太书5:17
“因为情欲和圣灵相争， 圣灵和情欲相争，这两个是彼此相敌，使你们不能做所愿意做的。”
加拉太书5:18
“但你们若被圣灵引导，就不在律法以下。”
火的洗礼（马太福音3:11-12）是要洁净，净化我们的肉体，恐惧，疑惑，不信，不顺服和我们生命中的一切渣滓。剩下的是热心，火和对上帝的热爱在我们的生命中，以实现祂的呼召和在我们生命所定的旨意。
随着这些障碍被消除，我们会有一股深切的愿望来思想神的话语，并深入的在灵里与基督结合，这是一个属灵的现实，我们可以按照以下的经文来证实： -
约翰福音14:11
“你们当信我，我在父里面，父在我里面；即或不信，也当因我所做的事信我。”
哥林多前书2:4
“我说的话、讲的道，不是用智慧委婉的言语，乃是用圣灵和大能的明证，”
罗马书15:18-19
“除了基督借我做的那些事，我什么都不敢提，只提他借我言语作为，用神迹奇事的能力，并圣灵的能力，使外邦人顺服； 甚至我从耶路撒冷 ，直转到以利哩古 ，到处传了基督的福音。”
哥林多前书4:20说：“因为神的国不在乎言语，乃在乎权能。”
真正的基督教于虚假的分别，是证明神的大能。不是一个教义测试，而是一个权能测试！当圣灵掌权时，争辩就结束了。这有点像以利亚挑战四百五十位巴力先知的决斗。 “你们求告你们神的名，我也求告耶和华的名。那降火显应的神，就是神。“ 当耶和华降下火来，烧尽燔祭、木柴、石头、尘土，又烧干沟里的水时，众民看见了，就俯伏在地，说：「耶和华是神！耶和华是神！」” 争论就这样解决了。
这是传讲被钉十字架的基督的真理：“基督差遣我，原不是为施洗，乃是为传福音，并不用智慧的言语，免得基督的十字架落了空。”（哥林多前书1:17）
洪保罗牧师
烈火军火库全球事工
www.aofglobal.com
二零一八年六月十三日
I was stunned as in the logical sense, this was a very prideful thing to say to such a big congregation in my first speaking engagement in the Church. Would you have done so?
