Читать книгу Hear God's Voice - Andre Dellerba - Страница 8

On 31 January 1995, when I accepted Jesus as my Lord, Holy Spirit entered me (Eph. 1:13). I didn’t feel anything except that inside I knew that something was different. The void that I had my whole life was no more, and an inner peace existed. It was Holy Spirit, at the same time He imparted the blue print of Christ in me so that I “be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). I found myself calling, actually crying out to God, as my Heavenly Father (Rom. 8:15). Then as days and weeks went by, He taught me about One Topic in the Bible. It was as if I couldn’t read anything else and had to go back and re-read. The Topic was Jesus Christ, what He did, what He said and what authority He left for me (John 14:16-17, 26; 16:14-15). So that I can walk as He walked, do what He did, say what He said and have the power He walked in (Mark 16:15-18). Like Paul said, “Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). And “no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3).

A couple of months after accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord, I was in awe at another miracle that I had just asked for, something extraordinary. I raced back to my room in Germany and said, “Jesus.” When I said Jesus I fell onto my knees and it felt like fire was all over me. Inside and out, I shook uncontrollably and remember looking at my hands moving back and forth, thinking, “What is happening to me? This is not real! This is not happening.” You need to understand I am a scientist/logical thinker and this wasn’t logical for me. All of a sudden I sensed someone in the room, about 2meters on my left but I didn’t look because I was too scared to. At the same time I felt this indescribable love that brought me to tears.

I wanted to thank Him, but as I started speaking my words didn’t come out right. It was more like stuttering gibberish so I kept quiet. Later I discovered that this was what the Bible calls, “Tongues.” I closed my eyes not wanting to see who was there, and then everything went back to normal. As I lay on my bed pondering what had just happened, I picked up my Gideon New Testament and started reading the Gospels again. It was as if liquid gold jumped out of the pages into my eyes and filled my body. Like the early disciples, I had received Holy Spirit inside me when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord (John 20:22) and now He was upon me (Acts 2:4). Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8).

There were times when people received Holy Spirit inside and upon them at the same time, e.g. Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:44-46). Also there were times when people received Holy Spirit inside them but only later Holy Spirit came upon them. Holy Spirit came upon them as a result of them thanking God for Jesus or when someone who was completed in Holy Spirit laid hands on them to receive Holy Spirit. The Disciples received Holy Spirit inside them before Pentecost (John 20:22) but later when Pentecost came, they received Holy Spirit upon them, completing them (Acts 1:8; 2:2-4). And those at Pentecost, who hadn’t received Holy Spirit inside them, received Holy Spirit both inside and upon them, that’s why the Greek word, Plēthō in Acts 2:4 literally means “completed, fulfilled” (not filled). This completion, inside and out, is known as the baptism of Holy Spirit.

Another example is Acts 8:12-17 “when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized (baptized in water). Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen UPON none of them (Holy Spirit was already inside them because no-one can call Jesus Christ Lord except by Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3) but He was not upon them). They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit”.

A few months later devastation happened, my step dad died at the age of 47. We lost our house, dogs and were basically on the street. Obviously questions arose like, “Lord, why did you take him? What is my mother going to do? What are my brothers and I going to do?” I discovered years later that it was Satan who killed him and not God (John 10:10). My step dad wasn’t guiltless, he had smoked a lot in his life and carried a lot of stress upon himself. But why didn’t God help him? I am sure He did, I don’t know those details, I don’t know if he was warned time and time again, I don’t know if he prayed for healing or just to accept the sickness, I don’t know if he wanted to leave the earth. All I know is that based on the scripture God doesn’t want Christians in Heaven now but wants them on earth to do His will. There is nothing for them to do in Heaven. Jesus praying to the Father said, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world” (John 17:15). God wouldn’t go against His Son’s word by taking them out prematurely. He has established the natural time period for human life 120 years (Gen. 6:3) and 70-80 years (Ps. 90:10) for Israelites under Moses who wondered 40 years in the wilderness. So why settle for anything less.

After a week of mourning, I was surprised I had peace that surpassed all understanding. I couldn’t explain why I had this peace, this situation should have caused fear and panic in my very bones. Even though I didn’t know what would happen to my family, or how we would survive, I had this peace. It was as if Holy Spirit was literally carrying me from within and I was like an observer. My life as I knew it was broken apart and in many pieces. And it would take me forever to think where each piece would go, what to do next and if I made the wrong move it would’ve been more devastating. But somehow I picked up the right piece at the right time without logical thought but more of knowing it is right – it was Holy Spirit who helped me.