PART TWO: What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

 

3. At Work in the World

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; or righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

- John 16:7-11

Jesus was always full of surprises. Have you noticed that? Just when His men thought they had Him figured out, He would throw them a curve. Just when His opponents thought they had Him cornered, He would spring His own trap and leave them drop-jawed and red-faced.

And just when we think we know what He's about to say, He zigzags and astonishes us with words we never expected to hear.

The Master's teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit in the world is like that. Jesus tells us that the Spirit's work is to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. But in each case we discover that His work is vastly different from what we would have expected.

The Spirit Convicts of Sin

When we talk about sin, what do we normally think about? Lying, stealing, cheating, pornography, fornication, and murder all come to mind. Often we think of breaking the Ten Commandments. And so when the Lord tells us the Spirit will reprove the world of sin, we might expect Him to say He will convict sinners of all their cheating and dishonesty and corruption. But that is not what Jesus says. He says, "...of sin, because they do not believe in Me."

Does God Have a Video?

Jesus says the Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin because they do not believe in Him. That and that alone is the sin for which a person will be judged. No other charges need be brought.

I've often heard it said that God has a kind of video in heaven, and one day He will show on a giant screen all your ungodly thoughts and deeds. But Jesus says the Spirit will convict the world "of sin, because they do not believe in Me." In other words, it boils down to a single issue: What have you done with Jesus? Do you believe in Him for your salvation?

The very name "Jesus" speaks of His mission. The angel said to Joseph, "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is the English transliteration of the Greek word Iesous, which was taken from the Hebrew name Yeshua, which is a contraction of Yahwehshua, or "Yahweh is salvation." Jesus Himself described His mission like this: "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). That was His mission, and the Holy Spirit testifies to the world of this. He reproves the world of sin because it does not believe in Jesus.

In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that God did not send Him into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He also said that whoever believed in Him was not condemned, but whoever did not believe in Him was condemned already because he did not believe in the only begotten Son of God. They are condemned because they refuse to believe in Jesus. Thus the Holy Spirit convicts people of sin because they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God sent by the Father to save the world.

The Scripture testifies, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). At the end of John's life, the apostle wrote that if we do not believe, we are making God a liar. By our refusal to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who bore the sins of the world, we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. If we refuse to believe, we call the Spirit a liar, for we reject the record that God gave of His Son (see I John 5:10-12).

This is no light matter. As the writer of Hebrews warned us:

Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:28-31).

There is only one way to avoid such a horrible sin. The apostle Paul spelled it out when he wrote, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Of course, such a confession must be genuine. A false confession never saved anyone. There are many who make false confessions about the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus tells us that one day many will come to Him and say, "Lord, Lord, open to us!" But He will reply, "I do not know you" (Matthew 25:11,12). He insisted that "not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).

How can you tell if a confession is true or false? Any true confession that Jesus Christ is Lord will be manifested by submission to Jesus Christ and to His Lordship. Any confession not followed by such submission is false and is therefore powerless to save.

Where Do You Stand?

Jesus Himself put it like this: "He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

This is the issue. Do you believe in God's provision for your sin? Do you believe that God sent His only begotten Son to bear your sin, to die in your place? Have you accepted or rejected Jesus Christ? That's the only issue, an individual issue. What is your relationship with Jesus Christ? Did you accept Him and the redemption that He purchased, or did you reject it by rejecting Him?

When you stand before God at the final judgment, He will ask you but one question: "What did you do with My Son?" It all comes down to your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The testimony of the Holy Spirit to the world is that all of us need to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and let Him become the Lord of our life. The whole issue is believing in Jesus Christ. That makes the difference in being forgiven or being condemned. It's the only issue.

The Spirit Convicts of Righteousness

The second task of the Holy Spirit in the world is to reprove the world of righteousness. The Spirit not only reproves the world of sin, but also of righteousness. Now, sin is doing the wrong thing; righteousness is doing the right thing. Sin is missing the mark; righteousness is hitting the mark.

What Happens to the Unrighteous?

Paul tells us that "the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9). In Galatians 5 the apostle lists for us the works of the flesh and adds, "I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (verse 21). He says that those who do these things are unrighteous; they are not right. And if you do these things, you're not going to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

In the book of Revelation we are told that God will not allow anything to enter heaven that would defile it. In Ephesians 5:5, Paul tells us that "no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." And in Hebrews we are exhorted to "pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (12:14). In all these verses the Holy Spirit is speaking to us about a holy life, about a righteous life, about denying the flesh life.

Jesus said to His disciples, "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). What a shocker that must have been to the disciples! The scribes and Pharisees were known for their righteousness; they were the fellows who were always straining at gnats and swallowing camels. They were always so careful to demonstrate their righteousness before the people, to keep every little jot and tittle of their own interpretation of the law. But inwardly they were breaking the law all the time. So Jesus told His men that "unless your righteousness exceeds theirs, you're not going to enter the kingdom of heaven."

Solving the Puzzle

It's clear that righteousness is a prerequisite for entering heaven. So what did Jesus mean when He said the Spirit would reprove the world of righteousness "because I ascend to My Father?" It doesn't seem to follow. The logical question is, What does the ascension of Jesus Christ testify to us of righteousness? How does the Holy Spirit put the two together?

He does it like this. When Jesus ascended into heaven, God bore public witness to the world that this was a man who lived such a holy life that His righteousness granted Him entrance into the kingdom of 'heaven. Jesus exemplified the kind of righteousness that God will accept, and by His ascension into heaven God was saying, "This is it. This is the standard of righteousness that will gain you entrance into heaven - greater than that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Nothing short of this righteousness can grant you entrance into the kingdom of heaven."

Don't believe the lies of Satan that somehow God will be persuaded to let all kinds of people into heaven who are basically sincere and good, but who never accepted the Spirit's witness about Christ. Don't believe that God will tolerate evil in the kingdom of heaven, just as long as it's not too bad. Don't believe that God will give you some kind of special dispensation to live after the flesh while on earth, but still grant you entrance into the kingdom.

Read the lists in Galations 5 and Ephesians 5 again and consider the warnings. "We know that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven," Paul insists.

But maybe that's not your problem. Maybe you don't live like that. Maybe you're counting on making it to heaven on the basis of your good life. Then you must consider what Jesus says in John 16:10. The witness of the Spirit is this: If you want God to accept you on the basis of your own righteousness, then you will have to be as righteous as Jesus Christ. For His ascension into heaven is God's witness to the world that such righteousness is the only righteousness that the Lord will accept.

How Righteous Was Jesus?

And just how righteous was Jesus? The Bible tells us that God "made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us" (II Corinthians 5:21). First John 3:5 declares, "In Him there is no sin." And Hebrews 4:15 tells us, "We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Jesus could truthfully say of Himself, "I always do those things that please Him [the Father]" (John 8:29).

Because Jesus lived a sinless life, always doing the things that pleased the Father, God received Him up into glory. By doing so, He proclaimed to the world the only righteous standard that He will accept.

Do you want to be accepted into heaven apart from Jesus Christ? Then the Spirit's witness is that you must be sinless, for that is the only righteousness that God will accept. If you can't meet that standard, don't expect God to accept you. Unless you are perfect and always have been perfect, you will be rejected.

Despite this clear-cut witness of the Spirit, many people today still seek to offer to God their own righteousness as the basis of their salvation. "Lord," they say, "I do such good things and I give to the poor. I am kind and considerate, and I do my best to live an honest life. I try to live by the Golden Rule. I want You to accept me, and therefore I will do, as best I can, all of these good works. Then, surely, You will love me and accept me for everything I have done!"

I hear this line of reasoning quite often when a person has died. The family of the deceased will tell me of all the good things the person did, then ask me to commend their loved one to God because of all of his or her good works.

But what did God say about man's works of righteousness? Through Isaiah the prophet, the Lord said that our works "are like filthy rags" in His sight (Isaiah 64:6).

Strange Case of Reasoning

Now, some people reason like this. "Do you believe that it is possible for you to be perfect for one minute?" they ask. If I don't think too hard, I can say yes. So they reply, "If you can be perfect for one minute, then you could be perfect for two minutes. And if you could be perfect for two minutes, then you could be perfect for four minutes. And if you could be perfect for four..." They keep extending the argument and finally conclude it is possible for a man to live in sinless perfection.

For the sake of argument, let's say you could do this. I'll grant it to you - I can't grant it to myself. I'm too honest. I'm so far from perfect that I just thank God for Jesus and for grace. But let us say that you could make a resolve right now: "I am going to be perfect from this moment on. I will never think one single thought that is outside of God's will. I will never act in a critical or prideful way. I'll not do anything for myself. I will live completely for others and for God. I will be perfect." And let us suppose that you could pull it off.

Then imagine that an earthquake unexpectedly hit and the building you were standing in started to collapse, crashing down on you in huge chunks. You're hit by one of the biggest pieces. As you're lying on the shattered floor, dying, I come by and say, "Congratulations! You did it! You set your heart and your mind and your resolve on living a holy life, and now you have reached the stage of sinless perfection. Congratulations!" As I congratulated you for this splendid job, if even the tiniest bit of pride arose and you thought, Yes, I am wonderful! - uh-oh! You've been wiped out because God hates pride.

But again, for the sake of argument, let's suppose you took even that kind of compliment in stride. Let's say you're truly one humble guy. Nevertheless, you still have a big problem. What about what you already did before you resolved to live sinlessly? What about the sins you committed before your oath? Here's the bad news: You were disqualified before you started! Therefore, if you want to come before God on the basis of your own righteousness, you might as well forget it. It's too late.

You say, "But, Chuck, aren't you closing the door to all of us?" Yes, as far as our own righteousness and efforts are concerned. If you're thinking that you can get to heaven on the basis of your good works or your good intentions or your own efforts, forget it. You'll never make it. There's only one way that any of us will gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven, and that is through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, imparted to us by our faith and trust in Him. There is no kind of service or duty to God we can perform for which He will accept us into heaven. Only by faith in Jesus Christ can we ever make it to the kingdom.

That is the Holy Spirit's witness to us through the ascension of Christ. The Spirit reproves the world of righteousness by pointing to Jesus Christ. He is the example; He's what God would have us to be. And if you can't meet that standard, then your only hope is to place your faith in Him.

The Spirit Convicts of judgment

Finally, the Holy Spirit reproves the world of judgment. Now again, we might have expected Jesus to say, "...of the judgment to come against all sinners." And there is a day of judgment coming, the final day of reckoning when everyone will give an account of himself to God. So we might have expected Him to talk about that future judgment. But again, Jesus throws us a curve. He said, "...of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." The judgment that Jesus speaks about isn't some future judgment; rather, it is a judgment that already has taken place. The prince of this world, Satan, was judged.

And where was the prince of this world judged? There is only one possible answer: At the cross. There was the ruler of the world judged; there was sin judged. God brought His judgment against sin upon Jesus at the cross.

Getting the Big Picture

Perhaps we should back up for a moment here to get a fuller understanding of what's going on. It's important to remember that, for a time, Satan had a rightful claim to this world. He gained it when Adam forfeited that right to him in the garden. That's why Jesus calls him "the ruler of this world."

Originally the earth was the Lord's and the fullness thereof. He created it. When God created man and placed him upon the earth, He gave Adam dominion over the earth. But Adam surrendered his dominion to Satan when he disobeyed the commands of God and obeyed the devil's suggestion to eat the forbidden fruit. When Adam yielded himself to Satan, he became his servant and thus the devil gained dominion over the earth. As Paul said in Romans 6:16, "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves - whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?" Adam obeyed Satan and thus became the slave of sin.

Long centuries later when Satan took Jesus up to a high mountain to show Him the kingdoms of the world and their glory, he offered to give them to Him - if only Jesus would bow down and worship him. "This has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish," Satan boasted in Luke 4:6. Amazingly, Jesus did not dispute the devil's audacious claim. He recognized that Satan was the prince of this world and called him such (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).

But Jesus was unwilling to let the situation stand. He had come to redeem the world back to God, and by His death upon the cross He paid the price for our redemption. For we are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from our vain manner of living, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, who was slain as a lamb without spot or blemish (see I Peter 1:18,19). Jesus Christ came to judge Satan through the cross so that the devil's dominion over the earth might be brought to an end.

The Triumph of the Cross

It was at the cross that Satan was judged. On the cross the power of Satan was broken, his hold over the earth canceled. Paul tells us in Colossians 2:13-15,

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

On the cross Jesus Christ defeated those principalities and powers of darkness which were against us. The resurrection was the proof of His victory.

Thus, the prince of this world has been judged. The authority and power that he once had over us has been broken through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore let not sin reign in your body, that you should obey the lusts of the body (see Romans 6:12).

Now, it is true that God has not yet taken control of the world. We are waiting and longing and praying for that day. Jesus told us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Oh, how I long to see the day when God's will instead of Satan's is being done on this earth! Believe me, it will be a far different world than what you see now. For righteousness will cover the earth "as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). The lion will eat straw like an ox and lie down with the lamb, and a little child will lead them (see Isaiah 11:6,7; 65:25). There won't be any physical or mental disabilities, for the lame will be leaping and the mute will be praising God, and the blind will behold God's glory and wonder (see Isaiah 35:6).

But until that glorious day, the witness of the Holy Spirit is this: We don't have to live under the dominion of sin any longer. We don't have to live under the rule of Satan, for he has been judged. He has no rightful claim over our lives. We can be set free because Jesus died to liberate us from the powers of darkness.

Because Satan has been judged, you, through Jesus Christ, can be freed from his dominion and his control. You can live a life in fellowship with God, being accounted righteous through your faith in Jesus Christ.

The world is still under the power of Satan, but the Holy Spirit bears witness that no one has to be chained by sin any longer. We don't have to be a captive and be held by the enemy in darkness. The prince of this world has been judged and thoroughly defeated. Now he holds people in bondage only by usurped authority and power. Jesus died for the sins of the world. And we can be set free from the power of sin.

I am a child of God through my faith in Jesus Christ, and God sees me as righteous for the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been imputed to me. God will accept me into heaven. Sin no longer rules my life. Because I am in Christ, I have been set free. Satan no longer has dominion over me because he was judged at the cross.

The same can be true of you. You don't have to be ruled by sin anymore; the prince of this world has been judged. His power has been broken and you, through Jesus Christ, can have victory over the powers of darkness.

What About You?

Such is the witness of the Holy Spirit to the world - a beautiful witness indeed. Sin can be brought to an end in your life when you believe in Jesus Christ and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to you. The power of Jesus' sinless life makes it possible for you to live with God forever in heaven. And even while living on earth, you don't have to live under the power and bondage of darkness anymore. Satan has been judged at the cross.

What a glorious witness! What a glorious truth!

The Spirit testifies that we have been enabled to enjoy a loving relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ. That's the issue that one day will determine your eternal destiny - that, and only that. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Did you receive Him as your Savior and Lord, or did you reject Him for whatever reason?

Let me ask you a question. Do you know where you stand as you consider your own relationship with Jesus Christ? If you have not yet made that commitment to believe and trust in Jesus Christ, to confess Him as the Lord of your life, I pray that God would speak to your heart right now, before you turn another page. Allow God's Holy Spirit to speak to you of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And then accept the marvelous gift of eternal life that God has provided for you through the sacrifice of His sinless Son, Jesus Christ.

It's true that Jesus delights in throwing curveballs, but this is not one of them. It's not even a fastball. It's a slow, graceful pitch that God wants you to hit out of the ballpark. For in this most important game of all, God doesn't want you out; He wants you in. He wants you to arrive safely home with Him in heaven.

Jesus has already won the championship. But it's up to you to join His team.

 

4. Keeping the Lid On

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

- II Thessalonians 2:7

We live in difficult days. But according to Scripture, it will get worse before it gets better.

The apostle Paul sounded this ominous warning almost 2000 years ago. He revealed that a day was coming when evil would run rampant across the face of the earth. Mankind would rebel against God in a way unparalleled since time began, swiftly bringing on itself fearsome plagues and terrors that would signal the end of this world system. Even in his own day, Paul could see the signs of the coming destruction. He wrote, "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work" (II Thessalonians 2:7).

Today this "mystery of lawlessness" is not hard to detect. We see the decaying effect of sin everywhere. The spirit of the Antichrist surrounds us. Jesus Christ is being mocked, scorned, ridiculed, and derided.

Beware of the "Religious Fanatics"

It's gotten so bad that a "cultist" is now being defined in some governmental circles as "one who believes that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and that Jesus is coming again." Do you believe these two ideas? If so, you are now being classified as a cultist. You own the title of "religious fanatic."

Watch for this term, "religious fanatic." It will be used more and more as we draw ever closer to the end. Globalists - those who push relentlessly for a one-world government - freely acknowledge that religious fanatics represent the greatest hindrance to their move toward absolute control of the planet. Members of many groups are being labeled as religious fanatics, and religious fanaticism has been branded as one of the greatest evils in the world today. What's holding back the New Age, according to a growing number of authorities? Their answer: Religious fanatics.

Several powerful men who enjoy the media spotlight have for years been waging a bitter war against born-again believers - a group they consider among the worst of the religious fanatics. Men such as Steve Allen, Carl Sagan, Ed Asner, and Norman Lear have been seeking to subvert the faith of many and make viable, believing Christians look like half-wits bereft of their senses. They are out to eradicate sincere religious belief so that nothing will hinder the coming of the New World Order.

The sobering truth is that the powers of evil have a master plan to remove a good portion of these religious fanatics. Only then, they believe, will they have their day.

And you know what? They're right!

Restraining Until the Time

The Scripture makes it clear that one of the Holy Spirit's primary tasks is to restrain evil until the time set by the Father. At that time He will be removed and Satan will be allowed to rule the earth for seven horrible years. As Paul wrote:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way (II Thessalonians 2:3-7).

The Holy Spirit is the One who is restraining this "mystery of lawlessness." He is the One who is holding the lid on the world's boiling kettle of violence. Once the Holy Spirit is removed and no longer restrains evil, the powers of darkness will take over. But unbridled evil cannot last long; a society sunk in immorality and wickedness cannot exist for any length of time. It will be a quick plunge into the darkest hour of the history of man, and then straight down into the abyss.

Oh, how the powers of darkness long to take over complete control of the world! But they can't - not yet. The Holy Spirit in the church is restraining them. He is that restraining force in the world today, holding back the tide of evil that is even now welling up and ready to flood the earth.

The Battle Is On

Because we Christians are redeemed and yet live in a world still under the power of Satan, we find ourselves in the midst of spiritual warfare, engaged in a conflict that is becoming more pronounced every day. Satan is mustering his forces for one final battle, and he is manifesting his power as never before. The devil is determined to destroy all of the influence of Jesus Christ from this earth. That necessarily entails the destruction of Christians and their righteous influence.

Modern technology has brought the darkness of the world right into our homes by way of television and radio and on-line computer services, and many Christians have unwisely allowed themselves to be molded and shaped by the ungodly philosophies of the wicked. Tragically, the church of Jesus Christ has been extremely weakened by compromise with the world.

Somehow we have largely forgotten that Jesus said to His disciples, "You are the salt of the earth." He intended for us to be a purifying influence; we are to vent the stench of rottenness that surrounds us. "But if the salt loses its flavor," Jesus warned, "how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13). Jesus meant the church to be a purifying influence on the world until the rapture, when all born-again believers will be removed from this earth and taken to heaven.

Jesus told His faithful church at Philadelphia (the church that represents the true church in the latter days), "You have a little strength" (Revelation 3:8). That's all the strength we have. We're not a great, mighty force, an irresistible power for righteousness. How I wish to God we were! But we're not; compromise in the church has extremely weakened our position as a witness and as a purifying agent to the world.

Nevertheless, Jesus said, "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). The church of Jesus Christ, though weak, shall still prevail through the power of the Holy Spirit. The church will prevail because of the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit in her midst.

The Time of the End

And what exactly is the Spirit through the church restraining? The Bible tells us there is one final, great battle to be fought before Satan is forced to return control of the earth to the Lord. Even now Satan is mustering his forces for this final conflict, which I believe the devil is deceived into thinking he is going to win.

In Revelation 19:19, John wrote, "And I saw the beast [the Antichrist], the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Jesus Christ] who sat on the horse and against His army." This conflict is the last to erupt before the Lord establishes God's kingdom upon the earth. Before this battle takes place, Satan will create a one-world government with his own representative at its head.

It is Satan's strategy to bring all of the governments of the earth under the control of one man, whom the New Testament refers to variously as "the man of sin," "the son of perdition," "the Antichrist," or "the beast." He is the one man whom Satan will vest with his powers, his throne, and his authority. He is Satan's instrument to rule the world and through whom the devil will be worshiped. In Revelation 13:2, John said of the Antichrist, "Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon [Satan] gave him his power, his throne, and great authority."

When the beast has been vested with the powers of Satan, he will be able to work all kinds of supernatural signs and wonders by which he will astound the world. In Matthew 24:24, Jesus declared, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect." In II Thessalonians 2:9 Paul said the Antichrist's coming would be "according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders."

The Antichrist will not work alone in this lying masquerade. Revelation 13:11-13 speaks of "the false prophet" who will work together with the Antichrist:

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.

Daniel confirms that the Antichrist's "power shall be mighty, but not by his own power." It will be the power of Satan, the power of darkness:

He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human hand (Daniel 8:24,25).

The Antichrist will be a violent enemy of God. He will speak blasphemies against the Lord: "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High" (Daniel 7:25). A few chapters later, the prophet writes,

Then the king [the Antichrist] shall do according to his own will; he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath [the Great Tribulation period] has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done (Daniel 11:36).

Paul adds that this man of sin "opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (II Thessalonians 2:4). And Revelation 13:5,6 says:

And he [the Antichrist] was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

The Two Witnesses Appear

God will not leave Himself without a witness, however, even in these dark days. The Bible describes two witnesses whom God is going to send to the Jews after the church is gone. Quite possibly they are Moses and Elijah. We are told how they will be hated by the world, and that if someone seeks to hurt either of these two witnesses, fire comes from their mouths and destroys that person.

Do you remember how when Elijah was on the earth the king sent out a captain with 50 men to bring the prophet in as a prisoner? "Man of God, the king has said, 'Come down!... the captain said in II Kings 1:9. The prophet replied, "If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men" (verse 10), and fire did come down and consume him and his 50 men. So the king sent out another captain with 50 soldiers, who said the same thing: "Man of God, thus has the king said, 'Come down quickly!"' (verse 11). Elijah answered, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." And it was so. A third fellow sent to the crusty old prophet was a little smarter. In essence, he said, "I'm a family man, sir. And I'm under orders of the king. Please - would you mind? Have mercy on me." This time, Elijah went down.

This story, coupled with Malachi 4:5 where God promises to send Elijah before the coming of the great day of God, is one of the chief reasons why some believe Elijah will be one of the two witnesses. Another reason is the fact that he never died but instead was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, along with the appearance of a chariot and horses of fire (see II Kings 2).

In the Great Tribulation, anyone seeking to hurt the two witnesses is destroyed by fire flashing out of their mouths. Yet the Scripture says when they have completed their testimony, then the beast will make war against them and overcome them and put them to death. He can't do that, however, until they've completed their testimony.

War Against the Saints

We also read that the Antichrist will make war against the Jews, who in that day will be known as "the saints" and God's "elect." Revelation 13:7 says, "It was granted to him [the Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation" (Revelation 13:7). Daniel 7:21 adds, "I was watching; and the same horn [the Antichrist] was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them."

Daniel 7:25 further says of the Antichrist, "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time [three and one-half years]."

When the Antichrist comes on the scene, he will fight against the saints and overwhelm them. He will prevail against them, thus showing that those saints cannot be the church since Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. These "saints" are sometimes called tribulation saints and include both Gentiles and Jews who turn to Jesus Christ during this awful period of great tribulation.

A Cashless Society

On seizing power, the Antichrist will inaugurate a new system of extremes. As Daniel said, he "shall intend to change times and law." One of the most notable changes will be his elimination of money. The Antichrist will usher in a cashless society.

A few years ago when I talked about a cashless society, everybody shook their heads and said, "A cashless society - who ever heard of that?" Well, who hasn't heard of that today? If you read the business section of your local newspaper or occasionally scan publications such as Forbes Magazine, surely you've read of this. We are hearing more and more about a cashless society.

I noticed just this past week a sign in the grocery store where I shop. It said, "We accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover cards." More and more I find people standing in line who use their cards instead of cash. They run their cards through a special register, sign a little receipt, pick up their groceries and are on their way - all without cash. It is amazing how quickly we are rushing toward a cashless society.

The Bible anticipated all this. It says of the Antichrist,

He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name (Revelation 13:16,17).

Be warned: That day may not be as far away as you think. Recently some in our government have been touting a national identity card, primarily to assist providers of health care. And already children in this country are given Social Security numbers at birth. It's all happening at an unbelievable rate.

At home in a drawer I have a little plastic device that looks something like a squirt gun. It has a little needle which is able to inject tiny transmitters under the skin. These microchip transmitters are about half an inch long and a fraction of an inch wide (some are even smaller). People "tagged" with these devices can be tracked anywhere in the world by orbiting satellites, which triangulate their position. This microchip, of course, can also be programmed with all kinds of personal information: your bank balance, address, driver's license number, whatever.

Banks are calling for a cashless society. Businesses are moving toward a cashless system. The government wants a cashless society. Why? Because it would be so much cheaper - there would be no money to print. And printing money is expensive.

I have in my office a 500 billion-dollar bill. It's the largest bill ever printed. Five hundred billion dollars - of course, it's Serbian. It is becoming a collector's item and is worth all of eight U.S. dollars. But it illustrates how quickly currency is becoming outdated.

So far, I have resisted this move to cashless transactions. I'm one of those rare individuals who still pays cash. It usually shocks the clerk.

"Do you want to put this on your charge card?" I'm asked.

"No, I'll pay cash," I reply.

"Cash?"

"Will you still take it?"

"I guess so."

Still, much about a cashless society makes good sense. With the crime rate rising out of control, the only way to effectively stop robberies and drug-dealing is to get rid of money. It also has been estimated that the government is losing billions of dollars every year in uncollected taxes. But if all economic transactions were made by computer, authorities would be able to trace everything that was bought or sold. Such a system would eliminate the theft of money because money would be worthless.

Even now, because crime has exploded, people are becoming reluctant to carry cash. The move to computerized transactions is an ideal solution. There won't be any cash to steal, and every transaction will be recorded.

To a limited degree, we are already dabbling in the cashless society. Today we are using cards, but it would be a simple step to move to an identification chip affixed to a person's body. (How about on the forehead or the right hand?)

Things are definitely in place to eliminate money as a means of exchange. It could happen any week. You could pick up the morning paper at any time and read that you have two weeks to turn in all of your cash. After two weeks, it would have no value. Cash will disappear. If you were to turn in more than 5000 dollars, you would be required to fill out forms to show why you had that much cash.

This isn't science fiction; in fact, it is being proposed even as you read this. Everything is in place.

Ready for a One-World Government

The die already is cast for a global surrender to the one-world system. In the media we constantly hear terms such as "global community" "global economy," "world bank," "global actions." We hear of the necessity of global cooperation and, for example, of the necessity of united efforts to stop regional wars. We are told how essential a global peace force is.

Even in the United States there are powerful forces which have global government as their goal. The two best-known groups are the Council for Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, both of which are attempting to move our nation first into cooperation, and then into submission, to the global authority. More and more powers are to be given to the United Nations, including laws that supersede those of our own nation. Bit by bit the United States is surrendering control of its troops to the United Nations and its secretary-general.

The reason for all this is not hard to imagine. With the awesome weapons of mass destruction that modern technology has devised, the world's leaders realize that mankind's only hope for survival is through global government. And they're working feverishly toward that end.

What's Holding Them Back?

So what's the delay? What's holding back these powers and forces of darkness that want to take full control of the earth? The Bible's answer is simple: This is a part of the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, restraining these powers of darkness and hindering them from installing their final man of power.

That's what Paul meant in II Thessalonians 2:7,8 when he wrote:

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

The Holy Spirit is hindering, standing in the way, restraining these powers of evil until the day He is taken out of the way As soon as He leaves, the wicked one shall be revealed and begin his reign of terror.

Now, it is actually the Holy Spirit in the life of believers that is the hindering force. Some might say, "No, it's just the Holy Spirit," but it isn't; it is the Holy Spirit in the church, in the life of the believers, that restrains the coming evil.

We are here to be a restraining force to evil through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not called to restrain evil through the political process; that will never work. This is a spiritual battle, and it is only through spiritual weapons that we have any hope of success.

Satan loves to draw Christians into the physical arena because he can make mincemeat out of them there. Jesus said, "The sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light" (Luke 16:8). If you try to fight evil through the political process, look out. You're going to get taken care of, but good.

God has given us spiritual weapons, and those are what we need to use. They are the only things we have that bring any real force to this conflict. And God will preserve us until we have finished our testimony, just as He has promised to preserve the two witnesses in the tribulation until they finish their testimony. And when the church has finished its testimony, then the Lord will remove it and Satan will take over.

On that day the powers of darkness will be in full control. There will be no more restraining force to oppose evil. Gone will be the voices raised against wickedness. Immediately after the church is removed, the man of sin will take over through the powers given to him by Satan. And then the world will be plunged into darkness such as it has never seen nor will see again (see Matthew 24:21,22). It is only the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church that is keeping Satan from this final thrust to gain absolute control over the earth, when the world will be plunged into its darkest hour.

How I thank God for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives! And I pray that we might be the purifying influence we were meant to be while we remain here. Let us be a strong witness for Jesus Christ, bearing a faithful testimony to the truth.

May the Lord hasten the day when we might complete our testimony and be received out of this dark, black world. Then will the powers of sin have their final day, a horrible seven years before Jesus returns to establish His kingdom of righteousness, light, joy, and peace.

What's Your Testimony?

While the consummation awaits, the forces of darkness are in control even now. From the fall unto this very day, the world has lain in the power of the wicked one. God, for His own reasons and purposes, has left Satan's forces in control over the present evil world system. I personally believe that they cannot quite understand why their whole program can't be instituted. They've been attempting to set in motion their demonic plans, but they just can't manage it.

I think they're beginning to realize the culprit, however; that's why they've begun to talk about the religious fanatics who are holding back world progress and peace.

During this time when Satan is still in control, those who desire to serve God can be a part of the restraining force which is even now holding back evil. They can be redeemed from the power of sin through Jesus Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and empowered by the Spirit to live in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Until the day the Spirit is removed from this earth - and the church with Him - Satan will be unable to fully institute his hateful program of world domination. His servants will be unable to set in motion their wicked plans. But they're ready to move.

Me, too. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

 

5. The Church's Divine Helper

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

- Acts 4:31-33

The church exists as a result of the Holy Spirit; it was He who gave birth to the body of Christ on the day of Pentecost when He was poured out upon the disciples. Since that day, the Spirit has been at work in the church in a multitude of vital and mighty ways. Without the Spirit in its midst, the church would be nothing more than a social club or a service organization. But when the Spirit is given His proper place, the body of Christ becomes a dynamic force of change in a sick and dying world. If nothing else, that is the lesson that the book of Acts should teach us.

The Work of Direction

While Jesus was here on earth, it was He who directed the ministry of the apostles. Jesus told them what to do, where to go, and what to believe. When the Master ascended into heaven, He continued to direct the church, only now He did so through the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus continues to guide His people.

In the book of Acts we see how the Holy Spirit directed the activities of the early church. There we see the tremendous success the church enjoyed and observe how well a church can function when it is directed by the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, as we look at the church today, we see how poorly it functions when it isn't directed by the Holy Spirit. When the church is directed by the genius of men and the committees they create, it quickly becomes inept and ineffective.

If we who are called to lead the church wish to know success and enjoy effectiveness in our ministry, we must strive to be led by the Holy Spirit in everything we do. That is what the first-century church learned very early on.

An Exclusive Institution

In the beginning, the church was an exclusively Jewish institution. It began in Jerusalem and its initial converts were all Jews. Most Jews were uncertain if a Gentile could even be saved, so they kept the good news to themselves. There was no thrust into the world, despite Jesus' commands to take the gospel to every creature in all the nations over the entire face of the earth (see Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).

That all began to change one day when Peter went down to the city of Lydda and there found a paralytic by the name of Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years. Peter prayed for him, the man was healed, and "all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord" (Acts 9:35).

A fellowship had been meeting in nearby Joppa. One of the key members of the fellowship was a lady named Dorcas who was one of those delightful women who is always doing nice things for others. She was continually making clothes for the needy and was one of those special persons who are so important and vital within the church. But Dorcas died, and the church sent couriers to Lydda. They were to tell Peter, "Come quickly to Joppa." When Peter returned with them he was led to the room of Dorcas, where by faith he commanded Dorcas to arise from the dead. And she did! It was a tremendously exciting moment in the fellowship at Joppa.

Unclean to Clean

Peter stayed some time at the house of Simon, a tanner who lived by the beach. One day about noon as the others began to prepare lunch, a hungry Peter went up on the roof to spend some time in prayer. While he was praying he had a strange vision. A sheet tied at all four comers came down from heaven, loaded with all kinds of animals, including unclean animals that Jews were prohibited to eat. Peter heard the voice of the Lord saying to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." Being a good Jew, Peter objected: "Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth." But the Lord said to Peter, "What God has cleansed you must not call common" (Acts 11:7-9).

This vision was repeated three times for emphasis. And then the Lord said to Peter, "Behold, three men are right now knocking at the gate. Go with these men - and don't ask any questions." Just as the Lord had said, three men were at the gate. Peter went down, invited them in, and they explained that they served a Roman centurion 20 miles up the coast in Caesarea.

They said that this Roman centurion - a good and just man who feared God - was praying one day when an angel appeared to him and told him to send his servants to Joppa. By the beach they would find the house of a man named Simon the tanner. They were to inquire for another man named Peter and invite him to come with them.

Did you notice in this story that the Lord always speaks on both ends? I like it that way. I get a little suspicious when someone says to me, "The Lord told me to tell you..." if the Lord hasn't already told me Himself. Sometimes when a person says this, it comes as confirmation of a word that God already has shown me. But if the Lord hasn't been dealing with me on that issue, then I don't jump to respond just because someone says he has a word from the Lord for me. I will judge it and wait upon the Lord, but I'm not going to rush off just because someone believes God has instructed him to tell me something.

In this story, the Lord told Peter what He wanted him to do. Now, this is a radical departure for Peter (and it's going to get even more radical as he gets into it). Notice that the Spirit is setting it all up on both ends.

When these men told Peter they were instructed to come and get him, Peter replied, "Stay with us tonight and tomorrow we will go with you." So the next day they began the journey up the beach toward Caesarea, arriving in the late afternoon. Cornelius invited Peter into his home, and Peter asked, "What do you want?" Cornelius then told him about the vision, pointed to his friends who had gathered at his house, and said, "We are here to hear what you have to tell us." So Peter began to preach Christ to them. As he did so, the Holy Spirit fell upon them.

Peter had wisely taken some Jews along with him to be eyewitnesses of his adventure, because he figured it was going to get him in trouble ... which it did. When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he was confronted by the believers there. "What's this we hear of you," they demanded. "That you went to the Gentiles? That you actually ate with them?" So Peter described his vision, how the Lord had told him not to call that unclean which the Lord had cleansed. "The Spirit told me to go," he explained. In other words, Peter had gone to Caesarea under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit who directed his activities, even though those activities departed radically from Jewish tradition.

Prophets and Circumstances

Peter's experience is just one example of the Holy Spirit leading the church. In Acts 13, we read that as the leaders of the church at Antioch "ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them... (verse 2). Just before this verse we're told that in that church there were certain prophets and teachers, including Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul. They comprised the church leadership. As they fasted and waited upon the Lord, the Holy Spirit spoke to them.

How did the Spirit speak to them? I believe He spoke to them through the gift of prophecy, inasmuch as this statement about the Spirit speaking immediately follows the mention of these prophets. I believe it was a word of prophecy that said, "Separate to Me Paul and Barnabas for the ministry to which I have called them." In any case, after the leaders had fasted and prayed further, they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them away. These two men, summoned by the Holy Spirit, departed to Cilicia and then to Cyprus. In this way the Holy Spirit guided the ministry of Saul and Barnabas very directly, calling them by name and then sending them to specific locations.

Further on in Acts we are told: "Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6). The Holy Spirit forbade them to visit a particular area where they had planned to go. So they came to Mysia and intended to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit would not allow them to enter.

It's interesting to compare Acts 13 with Acts 16. In the first incident it appears there was a spoken word of the Spirit which guided the apostles' actions. But in chapter 16 we are not told how the Spirit forbade the apostles to go to Asia or how He prevented them from visiting Bithynia. We get some clues, however, when we read Paul's epistle to the Galatians. There we discover that when Paul visited Galatia, he got so sick that he could barely move. So it would appear that the Spirit forbade them to go into Asia by allowing Paul to become so ill that he couldn't get out of bed. And when they intended to go to Bithynia, he was still too weak to travel.

This should be instructive for us. I think we make a mistake when we expect the Holy Spirit to lead or guide us only in some extraordinary, supernatural way. Surely, when the Spirit instructed the church to "separate to Me Barnabas and Saul," that was an example of supernatural guidance. When Peter had his vision and the Spirit audibly told him to go, that was pretty spectacular. That was direct. But the Spirit also leads in other ways; there are times when He leads us by putting hindrances in our path. Many times the Lord will cause circumstances to arise that prevent us from doing a certain thing we were planning to do. The Spirit often directs that way, as Paul's letter to the Galatians seems to indicate. He was so sick in Galatia that he was simply unable to travel any farther, yet he recognized this circumstance as the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He and Barnabas had planned to go on to Asia, but the Lord wanted to lead them in another direction. And they followed His leading.

Visions and Dreams

As Paul and Barnabas passed by Mysia, they came to Troas, where Paul had a vision. Once more the Spirit would lead them in a very supernatural way. Now He directs them through a vision. In the vision, a man of Macedonia cries to Paul, "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9). Sometimes the Spirit directs the activities of the church through visions.

Years ago I knew a man named Dr. Edwards. He was a bank president in San Jose when he committed his life to Jesus Christ. As he totally dedicated his life to the Lord, he felt God calling him to go into the ministry. He began to study the Word and went to school to prepare for his new career. One night he had a vision of an old, gray-haired man using an old-fashioned plow being pulled by an ox. The field was only half-plowed, and this old man was saying, "Come and help me." Dr. Edwards didn't understand what it meant.

Soon God began to place upon his heart a desire to go to Panama as a missionary. He left America and established a church in Panama City, as well as other churches in the area. He was very successful, sharp, well-educated, and doing a tremendous job. One day he got a call from a hospital saying, "Dr. Edwards, we have an old man here who is dying. Nobody seems to know him, but there should be a minister here to be with him. He will soon be dead." And so Dr. Edwards left for the hospital to visit this man and to pray with him. To his amazement, the dying man was the old, gray-haired figure he had seen in his vision. You might say it was Dr. Edwards' own Macedonian call - or, should we say, Panamanian call? The Spirit had used a vision to direct Dr. Edwards' work.

After the old man's death, Dr. Edwards began looking into his story and discovered he had been a Cumberland Presbyterian missionary in Panama for some 30 years. Dr. Edwards wasn't able to find any work the man had established; his had been a ministry of planting seeds. But Dr. Edwards built on the man's foundation and was able to establish an extremely strong missionary work in Panama.

I have never had a vision in this sense, nor do I think I have ever had a dream of spiritual import. Yet I do not at all discount them or consider them invalid for today. Doesn't Peter quote the prophet Joel as saying, "Your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17)? I'm too old for a vision, but I'm still open to dreams.

Sometimes in the middle of the night I reach a state in which I'm unsure if I'm awake or asleep. In that state, sometimes thoughts come to me. Maybe I am dreaming or maybe God's working and I don't even realize it. The other night something came to me very strongly. I don't know where it came from - I wasn't even thinking on the subject - but I recognized it as the word of the Lord to me.

The Lord said, "There are churches and ministries which lead people to a greater appreciation and love for themselves. You are leading the people into a greater appreciation and love for Me." It impressed me so strongly. In the middle of the night, I was blessed with that word from the Lord to my heart. And I thought, Lord, that's exactly what I want to do. I don't want to bring the people to a greater appreciation of themselves. I want to bring them into a greater appreciation of You and of Your love for them and what You have done for them.

How thankful I am for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, whether He directs us by means of prophecy, dreams, visions, or more ordinary circumstances. If you're young, I pray God will give you some visions. And if you're old, I pray He will give you some dreams. And if you don't know which you are, you'll find out when you get the visions or the dreams.

As we allow the Spirit to lead us, the church grows and flourishes, just as it did in the first century. If we will but obey, their glorious experience can be ours as well.

The Work of Protecting the Church

The Holy Spirit also works to protect the church from hypocrisy and corruption. We see this especially in the first few years of the early church.

The Curse of the Church

Acts 4 describes a time when "the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul" (Acts 4:32). No one laid claim to their own possessions, but everyone held all things in common. They shared the wealth, and no one lacked anything. "For all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need" (Acts 4:34,35).

But a man named Ananias, along with his wife, Sapphira, sold a parcel of land and kept back part of the price for themselves; the rest they laid at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?" (Acts 5:3,4). In other words, 'Ananias, no one told you to sell it. It wasn't a requirement of the church. The land belonged to you before you sold it, and the money belonged to you after you sold the land. No one asked you to bring the cash and lay it at our feet."

Notice that the sin of Ananias wasn't in bringing only part of the money; his sin was hypocrisy, the curse of the church. Ananias was pretending that he had brought all of the money in order to impress other people. He was acting as though he were giving everything, when he wasn't. He was trying to appear more committed than he really was.

In those days, there was such power in the church that you couldn't get by with such a sin. Peter said to Ananias, "Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God" (Acts 5:4). As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell dead on the spot - and "great fear came upon all those who heard these things" (5:5). The Spirit of God was seeking to protect the purity of the church from this dread, horrible, ugly cancer that has been such a scourge through the years. The Spirit was jealous to purify the church of this kind of hypocrisy.

Today's church is greatly weakened in comparison with its first-century counterpart. There isn't nearly the power in the church today that there was then. In one way, I suppose we should be thankful for this. I wonder how many in the pews would survive the third verse of the old hymn: "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my silver and my gold. Not a mite would I withhold..." And pop! pop! pop! They're gone. No one left.

But in the early days, the Holy Spirit sought to protect the church from the dreaded curse of hypocrisy. The Spirit's purpose was to keep the church holy, to maintain a standard of purity and to protect it from corruption.

He's Not for Sale

In Acts 8 we read that Philip went to the city of Samaria and there preached Christ. A multitude of people responded to his message, and the Holy Spirit worked miracles and wonders through this deacon in the early church. Unclean spirits were being cast out, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. As a result, great joy spread throughout the city.

A man named Simon also believed and was baptized. Before his conversion, Simon had been a magician, skilled in the art of sorcery. Prior to the coming of Philip, Simon had bewitched the people of Samaria into thinking he controlled some great power of God. But as Philip preached, Simon himself believed, was baptized, and accompanied Philip through the city. As he beheld genuine miracles performed by the Spirit through Philip, he probably wondered, How does he do that?

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had received the gospel, they sent Peter and John to investigate. They soon discovered that the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of the Samaritans, so the apostles laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was imparted by the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:19).

That practice later became known as "simony," the buying of positions of power in the church. This sin became a curse to the church. Here Simon was seeking to buy the Spirit's power. So Peter said to him:

Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity (Acts 8:20-23).

The Holy Spirit was revealing these things to Peter in order to protect the church from those who would seek to buy their way into power. Corruption could not be tolerated.

The Work of Edification, Exhortation, and Comfort

Another crucial work of the Holy Spirit in the church is His activity of edifying, exhorting, and comforting the body of Christ.

As Paul compares the gift of speaking in tongues with prophecy in I Corinthians 14, he writes, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself... If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful" (verses 4,14). On the other hand, "He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men... He who prophesies edifies the church" (verses 3,4).

This makes it plain that a key work of the Holy Spirit in the church is to edify the body, to build it up. Exhortation and comfort both play a key role in this. The Spirit wants to bring you to a greater appreciation of God and of God's love for you, to reveal Jesus Christ and His work for you, to urge you to do what you know you should, and to bring healing to your painful wounds. He does all this so that you might be built up in the Lord.

In chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, Jesus addresses Himself to the seven churches of Asia Minor. In each of His seven messages, Jesus said, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." In each case, the Spirit spoke the words of Jesus to the anointed teachers and ministers of each local church. In some cases words of edification predominated; in others, words of exhortation and warning were more necessary; and in a few, words of comfort were needed. In each congregation, Jesus exhorted those who had an ear to hear, to heed what the Spirit was saying to the church.

A big part of achieving an effective ministry is identifying the right human leaders to minister edification, exhortation, and comfort to the people of God. This, also, is a work of the Holy Spirit. Remember that it was the Spirit who told the church at Antioch, "Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2). Later on we find that Paul tells the elders of the church at Ephesus, "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood"