Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days

Hilary shares her testimony of how God dramatically healed her and transformed her life.

There is a 2-fold experience of the Holy Spirit: (1) WITHIN and (2) UPON. (1) The Spirit WITHIN is for ourselves, our own life of holiness with God, whereas (2) the Spirit UPON is to empower us for ministry. Jesus (our example) was (1) born with the Spirit WITHIN but was not anointed with power until (2) He received the Spirit UPON Him at His Baptism, when He entered into His supernatural ministry. We see the same 2-fold pattern with the first Christians. (1) On the evening of His resurrection. Jesus breathed on them, saying “receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22), so this is when they were born again and received the Spirit WITHIN. But, they had not yet received the full experience of the Spirit, because He then started to prepare them to receive the Spirit UPON (Luke 24:47-49, Acts 1:4-5,8), which happened 50 days later on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). This 2-fold anointing of the Spirit comes from the very nature of our love relationship with the Lord (1John 4:7-8,19, Romans 5:5, Matthew 22:37-38, Deuteronomy 6:5, 1John 2:15-16). Flowing out of our love relationship with God should be a commitment to glorify His Name and help Him fulfil His mission in the earth; to be alongside Him in His work, and partner with Him as a co-labourer. Until the foundation of our love relationship with Christ is laid in our lives, our work for Him is an idol. We can substitute our ministry for loving Him, and end up serving Him in the flesh, rather than in the Spirit. When our love for the Lord is established as the first thing in our life, He can bring us into our ministry, without it becoming more important than Him. We must always keep Him as our first love, and not allow anything to become a substitute for our love-relationship with Him. Then, when we are ready, He will reveal His mission to us and cause us to dedicate ourselves to Him to do our part in fulfilling His mission on the earth, as part of our expression of our love for Him. God loves us and wants us to fulfil our full potential, and release all the gifts He has given us. So, when we dedicate ourselves to Him to fulfil His work, He anoints us with His Spirit UPON. His Hand comes UPON us to empower us to do the Great Commission and He releases spiritual gifts to flow through us. This way, we serve God in the newness and power of the Spirit, rather than from our soul (Romans 1:9, 7:6, Acts 1:8). The Samaritans also received the Blessing of the Spirit in 2 Stages. When Philip preached Christ to them, they received the Gospel and were saved and baptised (Acts 8:5-8,14,16, Mark 16:16), so they received the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:9). They had the Spirit WITHIN, but not the Spirit UPON (Acts 8:14-16). This proves there is a 2-stage experience of receiving the Spirit WITHIN and UPON. Thus, the Baptism in the Spirit is a separate experience that follows after Salvation. When the apostles laid hands on them, they received the Spirit upon (v17). This came with outward evidence, because Simon (the magician) saw they had received the Spirit and offered money for the power to baptise people in the Spirit (v18-19), but Peter rejected his request (v20-21), saying: “you have neither part nor portion in this MATTER (‘logos’ = ‘word’ or ‘utterance’).” This confirms the outward evidence displayed by the Samaritan believers was praying in tongues. In Acts 9, the Apostle Paul also experienced a 2-stage reception of the Spirit: (1) He was SAVED when He met Jesus, and called Him Lord (v3-6a), and Ananias called him ‘brother’ (v17). For the next 3 days he was blind, while waiting for the Lord’s instructions (v6b-9). God told Ananias to go to him (v10-16), who laid his hands him to receive his sight and be FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT (v17,18). So, (1) was saved on the road to Damascus, but (2) only filled with the Spirit 3 days later. So, Paul also had a 2-stage experience, and when he was filled with the Spirit, he spoke with tongues (1Corinthians 14:18, Acts 2:4). In Acts 19:1-6, the Ephesians also had a 2-stage experience. First, Paul asked them: “Did you RECEIVE the HOLY SPIRIT when you BELIEVED?” (v2). This question in itself proves Paul believed in the 2nd Blessing. Their answer revealed they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit, so they could not have received Christian Baptism (Matthew 28:19), which brought into question if they were even saved. In fact, they had only received John’s baptism (v3). Then Paul preached Christ to them (v4), and they believed and were saved and baptised (v5), but even then, they had still not yet received the Spirit UPON, for that only happened afterwards, when he laid hands on them. Then “the HOLY SPIRIT came UPON them, and they SPOKE with TONGUES and prophesied” (v6). The Spirit comes upon us to empower us to prophesy, to testify to Jesus, and share the Gospel under the inspiration of the Spirit (Revelation 19:10), so God's power goes forth from us as we speak.

After the 1st disciples received the Spirit WITHIN (John 20:22), Jesus prepared them to receive the Spirit UPON 50 days later (Acts 2). He gave them the Great Commission, and promised to give them power to fulfil it by the Spirit UPON (Lk 24:47-49, Acts 1:4-5,8), which was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), when they received the Baptism in the Spirit (Acts 11:15-16). Acts 2:3-4 is the classic blueprint for this Baptism. It gives a 2-fold description: (1) The Spirit coming UPON them as FIRE, and (2) being filled inwardly with the Spirit as they surrendered their souls to Him. Then as they yielded their bodies to Him by speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave them the words, He came upon their flesh. By the power of the Spirit UPON us, when we share the Gospel, His Spirit shines forth from us, empowering our words, revealing Christ to men’s hearts. We activate His power UPON us by speaking His words, which release (ignite) God’s Spirit, causing Him to shine forth as light (fire). In this way, we release His power by our words. They all used oil lamps, that SHINE by the power in the OIL (a symbol of the SPIRIT). Likewise, the SPIRIT is the only source of true LIGHT. The FIRE upon them meant they were like burning oil lamps with the Spirit within and upon them, shining His light, the oil having been ignited at their mouths. To ANOINT means to apply OIL, so to be ANOINTED means having the OIL of the SPIRIT upon us (Lk 4:18). So, to SHINE we must be anointed with the oil of the Spirit, and then IGNITE that OIL by our WORDS. The power is not in our flesh, but the Spirit (2Cor 4:7). We have the power of ignition, causing Him to shine by speaking His words (Acts 2:3-4). After receiving Christ, we must embrace His mission to shine His light, and surrender our soul to Him, so His Spirit can fill us, come upon us, and empower us to fulfil our ministry. Our surrender is only completed by our obedience to yield our tongue to speak the words He supplies from within (v4). Peter declared Acts 2:4 fulfilled Joel 2:28-32, which prophesied the outpouring of the Spirit UPON all (believing) flesh (Acts 2:12-18), in conjunction with signs: “I will (1) show WONDERS in HEAVEN above, and (2) SIGNS in the EARTH beneath: blood, fire and vapour of smoke. (1) The SUN shall be turned to DARKNESS, and the MOON to BLOOD, BEFORE the Coming of the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord (the central event)” (Acts 2:19-20). Joel 2:28: “It shall come to pass AFTERWARD (after the central event, v31), that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.” Finally, he quoted the last line of Joel’s Prophecy in Acts 2:21: “whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Joel’s Prophecy predicted a sequence of events: (1) SIGNS in HEAVEN and EARTH, just BEFORE (2) the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord, AFTER which (3) the Spirit will poured out UPON all flesh. The purpose of the outpouring of the Spirit UPON all believers is to empower them to prophesy (speak under the inspiration of the Spirit), which we do when we witness to Jesus, for as we speak, we trust the Spirit upon us to anoint our words, speak through us and glorify Him (Rev 19:10). The aim of our Spirit-filled witness is that people will call on His Name and be saved (Acts 2:21). Peter claimed what happened was the fulfilment of the whole of Joel’s Prophecy (Acts 2:16), which he quoted in full (2:28-32), not just the bit about the outpouring of His Spirit. He declared the 3-fold sequence of events prophesied by Joel was now fulfilled: (1) The SIGNS on EARTH and in HEAVEN happened on the Day of the Cross, 2 days BEFORE (2) Christ’s RESURRECTION (the Great and Awesome or Manifest Day of the Lord), the main focus of Peter’s sermon. Then 50 days AFTERWARD (3) the Spirit was POURED OUT on all flesh. Thus, the promised Spirit was now made freely available to all, so if we put our faith in Christ, we too can receive the Gift of His Spirit (Acts 2:32-33, 38-39). Both SIGNS in the HEAVENS were fulfilled on the Day of the Cross: (1) the DARK SUN at noon, proclaiming Jesus as our sin offering (Luke 23:44-45), for the radiant SUN of righteousness (Mal 4:2), bore the darkness of sin on Himself, pictured by the midday sun made black, as predicted in Amos 8:9. Ancient historians recorded this strange supernatural darkness, dating it to AD 33. (2) The BLOOD MOON (Acts 2:20) = a lunar eclipse. On Passover of AD 33 (Friday, April 1st), in Jerusalem as the full moon rose above the horizon, it was a Blood Moon. So, Joel 2:30-31 was fulfilled on the Day of the Cross. Whereas the SUN = CHRIST, the SOURCE of LIGHT, the MOON = His PEOPLE, who, like the moon, shine by reflecting the SUN’s light. God proclaimed in the heavens that His People were now covered by the BLOOD! Acts 2:20 also speaks of SIGNS on EARTH: (1) ‘BLOOD’ = the BLOOD of CHRIST, corresponding to the BLOOD MOON. (2) ‘FIRE and VAPOUR of SMOKE’, because of the great earthquake and resulting FIRES from all the oil lamps in the dark.

Peter shares his dramatic testimony of how he dabbled in the occult through automatic handwriting and almost lost his mind, before called on the Name of the Lord Jesus, who gloriously saved him.

Pastor Derek shares how Christ accomplished a perfect finished work on the Cross, which established the basis for our full salvation through His Blood. This perfection is studied through its 3 aspects: (1) REDEMPTION (the sin-ward aspect), (2) PROPITIATION (the God-ward aspect), and (3) RECONCILIATION (the man-ward aspect). Christ (1) redeemed us from sin, the curse and the power of the enemy, and (2) made propitiation before God, fully satisfying the justice and wrath of God on our behalf, and (3) in Himself made a reconciliation between us and God, by means of the Great Exchange, whereby He took our sin and in return gave us His perfect human righteousness. When we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour by faith, then this perfect work on the Cross is automatically and immediately applied to us, so that we are justified and regenerated.

Should Christians participate in Halloween? Is it just some harmless fun or is it sinister in nature? Peter shares about the origin, history and nature of Halloween.

The Purpose of the Baptism in the Spirit is to receive power to communicate God’s blessing (life) to others (Acts 10:38). Once we receive His Spirit upon, we carry His power, and release it by speaking His words. We must have (1) His WORD in our heart and (2) His Spirit UPON us, to empower our words. By His death, Jesus purchased the Blessing of the Spirit, and then He ascended to Heaven on the resurrection morning (John 20:17) to appear before the Father to receive the Spirit on our behalf. Later that day He started giving the Spirit to His disciples - first, the Spirit WITHIN in John 20:21-22: “As the Father has SENT Me, I also SEND you.” When He had said this, He BREATHED on them, and said to them: “receive the Holy Spirit.” This is the Great Commission in JOHN. The 1st Blessing brings us into God’s Kingdom, which must come before being empowered to be His ambassador (2nd Blessing). Thus, His teaching up to that point focused on preparing them to receive the Spirit within. But once they received this 1st Blessing, He prepared them to receive the 2nd Blessing 50 days later, the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT, when they received POWER for ministry. So, the evening they received the Spirit within (John 20:22), He then talked about their MISSION, and the POWER He would give them to fulfil it (Luke 24:46-49) - the Great Commission in LUKE. Though they received the Spirit within, they had yet to receive the Spirit UPON, to empower them to witness. In the 40 days, He gave them their mission in greater detail. This is in all 4 Gospels and Acts. Mark 16:14-20 tells us what He said a week later (John 20:26-29) - the Great Commission in MARK, which says God works with us, as we SPEAK His WORD. Matthew 28:18-20 records what He told them later in Galilee - the Great Commission in MATTHEW. "I will be WITH you always" (v20) refers to His anointing with power as we go (Acts 10:38). Then at the end of the 40 days, He again gave them instructions for their mission in Acts 1:4-8 - the Great Commission in ACTS. He said the Spirit would come upon them giving them POWER to WITNESS (the Baptism in the Spirit). This was fulfilled a few days later (Acts 2:1-4). As we WITNESS, we release His POWER. So, the apostles RECEIVED (1) the Spirit WITHIN on the evening of the Resurrection (John 20:22), and then (2) the Spirit UPON 50 days later at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). One picture of sharing the Gospel is SHINING the LIGHT of CHRIST. The whole world is in darkness (1John 5:19), and so its greatest need is for us to SHINE the LIGHT of the GOSPEL (John 8:12,12:46). Jesus calls us to SHINE our LIGHT (Matthew 5:14-15). This is a command to PREACH the GOSPEL. We SHINE the LIGHT by our WORDS. This is different from doing good WORKS. Our WITNESS is VERBAL, but our WORKS are also important, for they back up our witness, giving it credibility. In a trial, a witness necessarily gives verbal testimony. Matthew 5:16: "Let (1) your LIGHT (witness to Christ) so SHINE before men, so that (2) they may see your GOOD WORKS, and glorify your Father in Heaven.” We are to glorify God both through our (1) LIPS and (2) LIFE (works). So, God commands us to witness with our lips (shine His light), and live in a way that our lifestyle fits our words, so people will believe us. Good works SUPPLEMENT, but do NOT SUBSTITUTE for our verbal witness. ‘Let your light SHINE’ means OPEN your MOUTH! This describes what happens in the spiritual realm when we witness, for the power of the Spirit radiates out of us as we speak His Word. We WITNESS by our WORDS (Phil 2:15-16), backed up by our WORKS. Isaiah 59:20 - 60:3: “My SPIRIT UPON you, and My WORDS, which I have put in your MOUTH, shall not depart from your MOUTH... Arise, SHINE; for your LIGHT has come and the GLORY of the LORD is risen UPON you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you and His GLORY will be seen upon you. Gentiles shall come to your LIGHT...” This says we SHINE in the darkness by SPEAKING God’s WORDS in the POWER of the SPIRIT. 2Corinthians 4:4-7: “…the LIGHT of the GOSPEL of the GLORY of CHRIST, the image of God, should SHINE on them. For we do not PREACH ourselves, but CHRIST Jesus the Lord. For the same God who COMMANDED LIGHT to shine out of darkness (He released LIGHT by speaking His WORD), who has SHONE in our HEARTS (through the spoken WORD of the GOSPEL) to give the LIGHT of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We have this TREASURE (the power of the Spirit to shine the Light of Christ through the Gospel) in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the POWER may be of God and not us.” We have the power of the Spirit upon us, and when we SPEAK the WORDS of the GOSPEL, we ACTIVATE this POWER (Acts 1:8), so goes forth with our WORDS to penetrate and illuminate their hearts (Romans 1:16). When we share the GOSPEL, His LIGHT SHINES out of us by the power of His SPIRIT, for as we SPEAK, His POWER is released with our WORDS.

Should Christians participate in Halloween? Is it just some harmless fun or is it sinister in nature? Peter shares about the origin, history and nature of Halloween.

Derek explains how Israel is central to the fulfilment of Bible Prophecy.

In Matthew 24:37-39 Jesus confirmed that Noah's worldwide Flood actually happened and that it is a type of the future worldwide judgment of the Tribulation, which will be initiated by the Coming of Christ. Life before the Tribulation will be like the days before the Flood, with much of humanity living godless lives, when they will suddenly be taken by surprise by the sudden onset of the judgments of the Day of the Lord, just as in the days of Noah, when the people were taken by surprise by the sudden release of the judgment of the Great Flood. Just before Noah's Flood fell, God provided a rescue for all the believers in the Ark, lifting them above the scene of judgment (the whole earth). Likewise, just before the worldwide judgments of the Tribulation are released, God will rescue all the believers by the Coming of Christ, our Ark of Salvation, who will receive us to Himself in the Rapture, lifting us up into His Presence, well above the scene of judgment (the whole earth).

In light of the present war between Israel and Hamas Derek explains the importance of Israel, God's purposes for Israel, and what might develop from this present situation (the Ezekiel 38 war).

God prepares us for our ministry and releases our spiritual gifts through a process of TRANSFORMATION (2 Corinthians 3:16-18, Romans 12:1-8). Pastor Derek explains how this process works. As we dedicate ourselves to God to serve Him, His Spirit will anoint us to serve Him according to His good pleasure, so that the will of God is accomplished in our life.

God's BLESSING is the impartation of His SPIRIT, giving life; God’s life working within and upon us. We were made to live by His blessing, empowering us to live, thrive and be fruitful. The opposite is curse (absence of life, death). Righteousness brings blessing, but sin brings curse. In Adam, all were under sin's curse, but Christ gave us His righteousness, so we can receive His blessing. When we received Christ, His blessing came into us, recreated our spirit and His Spirit now lives in us. There is also a 2nd Blessing (the Baptism in the Spirit), the Spirit upon, empowering us to multiply ourselves and be fruitful. In Scripture, His Blessing is always 2-fold: (1) for our own life, and (2) to empower us to reproduce ourselves in others. There is a vital connection between Blessing and Seed. Blessing works through seed to produce multiplication (Genesis 1:11-12). It is spiritual power. The seed is the natural thing it acts on to produce new life. The blessing is released through sowing seed, and seed is ineffective if not empowered by the blessing. God released His blessing on all His creatures by sowing His seed (speaking His Word): “God BLESSED them, SAYING.." (v22). He blessed them (1) to thrive (v20-21), and then (2) multiply (v22). His blessing is released and goes forth through His words. His Spirit works with His Word. This is the key to release His Blessing. God is BLESSED, and releases His BLESSING by SOWING SEED. Likewise, He made each animal multiply according to its kind or seed (v24-25). When He created man, He imparted the same 2-fold Blessing: (1) WITHIN and (2) UPON. (1) First, He created man, blessing him with life (v26-27), by imparting His Spirit WITHIN (2:7). (2) Then God blessed man a 2nd time, empowering him to be fruitful and multiply - imparting life to others (v28). God’s 2-fold Blessing through Adam at Creation is parallel to His 2-fold Blessing through Christ (the 2nd Adam) in the New Creation. (1) At our New Birth, He breathed His Spirit WITHIN, through the sown seed of the Gospel. (2) At our Baptism in the Spirit, He put the Blessing of His Spirit UPON, empowering us to impart life to others, by sowing the words of the Gospel. In both cases, He released His blessing by His words (blessing is voice activated). We are God’s image, and so release His blessing the same way: (1) We must be BLESSED with the Spirit upon, and (2) have SEED to sow. Then as we sow it, we release the blessing of life. The WORD and SPIRIT work together unto fruitfulness. Abram received the Promise of this 2-fold Blessing (Genesis 12:2,3), to be transmitted through His Seed (Genesis 22:17-18). This was fulfilled by Christ, who received the full Blessing, within and upon, on our behalf, to freely give us. The New Covenant Blessing is called the BLESSING of ABRAHAM and PROMISE of the SPIRIT (Galatians 3:13-14). It is 2-fold: (1) blessing for our own life, by the Spirit WITHIN, and (2) blessed to be a blessing to others by the Spirit UPON. This 2-fold Ministry of the Spirit was prophesied in Ezekiel 36:26-27 and Joel 2:28-29. Isaiah 59:20-21 describes how this Covenant Blessing is transmitted, by (1) the Spirit UPON, (2) released by speaking God’s WORDS. Jesus received and operated in the full 2-fold Promise of the Spirit: (1) born of the Spirit, with the Spirit within, and then (2) baptised in the Spirit, when He received the Spirit upon empowering Him to bless others (Luke 3:21-22, Luke 4:18-19). He is our example, for He said: “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you” (John 20:21). He gives us the same mission to bless others through the Gospel, and so anoints us with the same Spirit upon, and like Him, we release this power by sowing His words (Acts 1:4,5,8). The purpose of the Spirit upon is to give us power to witness, released through our words (Romans 1:16), which transmit the power into men's hearts. This power upon is potential (Acts 1:8), which we activate and release, by speaking His words. It goes forth with our words, making them effectual. We need both the Word in our heart and the Spirit upon to empower our spoken words, so they enter men’s hearts with power to illuminate, convict and save. The Parable of the Sower describes how God's Kingdom works. The sower sows God's Word in men’s hearts. If received, the seed produces new life in them (1Peter 1:23,25). After Jesus was baptised in the Spirit, He became the first Sower, speaking God’s Word, releasing the Spirit's power, giving life to men (John 6:63). He then told us all to continue His mission by sowing His Word in the same power of His Spirit. The earth (man's heart) needs 2 things to bring forth fruit: (1) SEED (the Word) and (2) WATER (the Spirit). So, we need to sow the Word and release the Spirit to minister life to men (John 7:37-39). The Baptism in the Spirit empowers us to speak for Him (Acts 1:8), so His Spirit flows forth with the spoken word, causing it to be effectual in producing fruit in people’s hearts.

Pastor Derek shares on how you can prepare to serve the Lord and enter into your ministry.

Ephesians 5:18 commands us: "Be being filled with the Holy Spirit." Pastor Derek explains what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and how we can be filled with the Spirit of God, and the difference it will make in our lives.

The Promise of the Spirit in the New Covenant has 2 aspects, as exemplified by Jesus: (1) The Spirit WITHIN, at the New Birth. (2) The Spirit UPON, at the Baptism in the Spirit. The apostles received the Spirit in 2 stages. (1) In the evening of His resurrection day they received the Spirit WITHIN (John 20:22). (2) Then 50 days later they received the Baptism in the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), when He came UPON them. Acts 2:33 says Christ only gave His Spirit (within and upon) after His Ascension. But if it was 40 days after His resurrection, how could He give them the Spirit on the resurrection evening? The solution is there were 2 Ascensions: (1) His 1st Ascension on the resurrection morning (John 20), and (2) His 2nd Ascension 40 days later (Acts 1). *The 4 Purposes for His 1st Ascension: *1. To fulfil the Feast of FIRST FRUITS, He had to ascend to Heaven and present Himself to God as the First Fruits from the dead, on the day of His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). *2. To appear before God’s throne to receive ALL AUTHORITY (Daniel 7:13-14). During the 40 days, in Matthew 28:18-19, He claimed He had already received this authority, so He must have ascended at the start of the 40 days. This is confirmed by Ephesians 1:19-22 which connects together His resurrection, ascension and receiving all authority as the result of a single working of God's mighty power. Also Philippians 2:9-11. The authority He received included the authority to receive and pour out the Holy Spirit. *3. To present His BLOOD in the heavenly Holy of Holies, as the final and full satisfaction for our sin, and for the New Covenant to come into full operation, including the Promise of the Spirit (Hebrews 9:11-15). Although He died and rose again, He had to accomplish the final consummation of His atoning work in Heaven, by taking His Blood into God's throne room and sprinkling it there, where it speaks for our forgiveness and grace (Hebrews 12:24). He had to do this before giving the New Covenant Gift of the Spirit to us. He is given not on our merits, but on the basis of His completed atonement, which was not consummated until His Blood was sprinkled in Heaven. So the giving of the Spirit testifies the Blood has availed for us, to cleanse us from sin and purchase the blessing of the Spirit (1John 5:6). So the Spirit could not be given before the Blood was presented in Heaven at His 1st Ascension (Acts 2:33). Having purchased our redemption, He ascended and presented His Blood in Heaven, for acceptance by the Father as the seal of His completed work. Only then could He receive the Spirit to pour out on all who believe. *4. To receive the Promise of the Spirit from the Father on our behalf, in order to pour Him out within and upon His people. This required Him to ascend to Heaven (Acts 2:33) and be glorified with all authority, power and glory (John 7:39), which must have happened on the resurrection morning (John 20:22). So He first ascended to Heaven, before returning to earth for 40 days. That is why He was able to impart the indwelling Spirit to His apostles that evening (John 20:22). The Purpose of this 1st Ascension was to officially inaugurate the New Covenant in Heaven, by presenting His Blood there, making it fully operational, as confirmed by His words to Mary, as He was about to ascend. He revealed He was ascending, and that the purpose of His Ascension was to complete the establishment of our New Covenant relationship with God. John 20:17: “Do not touch Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to MY BRETHREN and say to them: ‘I AM ASCENDING to My Father and YOUR Father, and to My God and YOUR God." The reason He did not allow Mary to touch Him was that He was ascending to offer Himself to God as the First Fruits. So it was not appropriate for her to touch Him. This holy offering included many saints who were raised with Him (Matthew 27:52-53). So, at His 1st Ascension, (1) He offered Himself to God as the First Fruits, the Head of the new creation of humanity, and (2) presented His Blood (which purchased and guaranteed every blessing of salvation and the Spirit for us) as the basis of the New Covenant, He was accepted by God on our behalf as our representative Man. (3) He then received all authority from God, including the right to pour out His Spirit upon all who believe. (4) Therefore, at this time, He also received the Spirit from the Father on our behalf, along with all the blessings in the New Covenant. Therefore, He now has the authority to pour out His Spirit on all those in Christ, who submit to His Headship. That is why, that evening, He was able to impart the Spirit into His disciples (John 20:22). Then He started to PREPARE them to receive the Spirit UPON (Luke 24:49), which they did 50 days later. We have a PURPOSE, for Christ has commissioned and sent us on a MISSION to be His WITNESSES (Luke 24:47), so we need His SPIRIT UPON, to EMPOWER us to fulfil this MINISTRY (Acts 1:4-8).

The 2 stages of receiving the Holy Spirit: (1) At salvation, we receive the Spirit within. (2) At the Baptism in the Spirit, we receive the Spirit upon. Jesus is the classic example: (1) He had the Spirit WITHIN from birth, but (2) did not have the Spirit UPON until He was 30. We see these 2 stages with the apostles, for on the day of His resurrection Jesus imparted the indwelling Spirit to them (John 20:22). Then 50 days later they received the Spirit upon (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-8, 2:1-4). The giving of the Spirit could only happen after His Ascension (Acts 2:33). So, how could He give His Spirit to His apostles 40 days before His Ascension (John 20:22)? The solution is there were 2 Ascensions: (1) His 1st Ascension on the resurrection morning, and (2) His 2nd Ascension 40 days later. (1) First, He ascended, to appear before God and receive the Promise of the Spirit on our behalf, before returning to earth for 40 days, after which (2) He ascended again and sat down at God's right hand. That is why He could impart the Spirit to His apostles later on the same day He rose again (John 20:22). The 4 Purposes for His 1st Ascension: *1. To fulfil the Feast of First Fruits on the day of His resurrection (1Corinthians 15:20-23). *2. To present His BLOOD in the heavenly holy of holies (Hebrews 9:12). *3. To receive ALL AUTHORITY (Matthew 28:18, Daniel 7:13-14, Philippians 2:9-11): *4. To receive the SPIRIT on our behalf, to give to His people (Acts 2:33). When He appeared to Mary, He said: “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ASCENDED to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them: ‘I AM ASCENDING to My Father” (John 20:16-17). The reason He gave her for not allowing her to touch Him was that He was ascending. But later He allowed others to touch Him (Matthew 28:9, Luke 24:39, John 20:27). It follows He must have ascended for a purpose that required Him to avoid human contact until He fulfilled it, which must have been to present Himself as the First Fruits Offering to God, mandated for that very day and hour. Also, He had to present His Blood in the Heaven. So it was not appropriate for Mary to touch Him before He had made these holy offerings. He had to fulfil the Feast of First Fruits, which required Him to ascend to the Father on that resurrection morning (always on the Sunday of Passover Week - Leviticus 23:10-11). He had to present Himself to God in the heavenly Temple in the 3rd hour, exactly when the Sheaf of First Fruits was waved before the Lord in the earthly Temple (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). The First Fruits is a sheaf of barley, that had been cut down and then lifted up and waved before the Lord in the Temple. Through God’s acceptance and blessing of the First Fruits, the whole harvest is blessed and guaranteed to come forth just like the First Fruits. This is a picture of Christ, who was killed, but now risen as our Representative Head 'accepted by God on our behalf'. So all who are in Christ are accepted by God as righteous and under His blessing, and our future resurrection is guaranteed. He described His death and burial as a grain of wheat being buried in the earth (John 12:24). Although only 1 seed is planted, the stalk that grows from it contains a whole cluster of grains. Likewise, many new creations will come forth from His death and resurrection. This multiplication is signified in the First Fruits Offering, for a whole sheaf containing many seeds (not just 1) that is waved before the Lord. This was fulfilled in His resurrection, for although He was buried alone, He did not rise alone, but many rose at the same time with Him (Matthew 27:51-53). He ascended to present Himself and the first fruits to God. At the same time, He took the spirits of the Old Testament saints (the spirits of just men made perfect) to Heaven (Hebrews 12:23). Before the Cross, at death, believers went down to Paradise in Hades, whereas the unsaved went to Torments (Luke 16:19-31, v22). The OT saints could not go to Heaven, as they were not born again. Although righteous by faith, they were spiritually dead. Their spirits had not yet been made perfect by the New Birth, so could not go to Heaven. The New Birth was only available after His Resurrection (1Peter 1:3). So, they could not enter Heaven when they died (John 3:3,5,13). But when He rose, He preached the Gospel to them in Hades, so they might be born again (1Peter 4:6). Then at His 1st Ascension, He led them to Heaven in a triumphal procession (Ephesians 4:8). Now, all born-again believers go to Paradise in Heaven when they die (2Corinthians 12:2,4). The hope of the OT saints was Heaven (Hebrews 11:10,16), but they did not receive this promise when they died, as their spirits could not be made perfect until God provided something better (the New Birth) for His people, when the New Covenant came into operation (Hebrews 11:39-40). But now these spirits of just men have been made perfect and are in Heaven (Hebrews 12:22-24).

There are 2 Stages of receiving the Holy Spirit: (1) When we receive Christ, we are baptised into Him, born again, and receive the Spirit of God WITHIN, for our own personal blessing, holiness and life with God. (2) There is a subsequent experience of the Spirit after salvation, called the Baptism in the Spirit, when we receive the Spirit UPON, for the purpose of empowering us to witness to Christ and for ministry. The PROMISE of the SPIRIT is also called the BLESSING of ABRAHAM (Galatians 3:14), which is a 2-fold BLESSING (Genesis 12:2). Jesus is the prime example of this 2-stage Blessing of the Spirit: (1) He had the Spirit WITHIN from birth, and by the indwelling Spirit, He lived a perfect holy life to God as a man, but (2) He was not empowered for supernatural ministry until He received the Spirit UPON, at His Baptism. The BAPTISM in the SPIRIT is when we are clothed with POWER, by receiving the SPIRIT UPON, enabling us to witness and fulfil our ministry. Jesus’ Baptism in the Spirit is the BLUEPRINT for ours (John 1:33). He already had the Spirit WITHIN from birth, but still needed to receive the Spirit UPON, to clothe Him with power for ministry. Likewise, we have the Spirit WITHIN, from our New Birth, but still need to receive the Spirit UPON, to clothe and anoint us with power to fulfil the Great Commission. He confirmed when God’s SPIRIT came UPON Him, He was ANOINTED with God’s POWER to minister (Luke 4:17-21). He described His Baptism in the Spirit as the Spirit coming UPON and ANOINTING Him to preach, heal and set the captives free. He also said that once the Spirit came upon Him, He rested and remained on Him, and so God’s power was present on Him to heal them. Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah (Anointed One) in 11:1-3, 42:1, 61:1-3. In the Old Testament, nobody was BORN AGAIN or had the SPIRIT WITHIN, as this was only made available in the New Covenant. Although certain prophets, priests and kings were anointed with the SPIRIT UPON, this was not necessarily permanent, nor for all believers. But in the New Covenant, the SPIRIT UPON is available to all believers (John 7:38-39, Acts 2:16-18), and is permanent. Jesus described these 2 ministries of the Spirit WITHIN and UPON in His TEACHING. (1) He described the SPIRIT WITHIN us, as an everlasting FOUNTAIN of living water (John 4:10-14). (2) Later in John 7:37-39, He described the SPIRIT flowing out of us as RIVERS of living water, making us channels of blessing to others (v38). In Luke 11:9-13, He taught God will give His born again children more of the Holy Spirit if they ask Him (it's not automatic). In the Gospels, He primarily prepared His disciples to receive the New Birth and the Spirit WITHIN. He taught about the New Birth of our spirit by the Spirit in John 3:3-9,16. Then in John 14:16-17, He introduced the Spirit as another Helper like Himself. This means He is like Jesus, (1) a PERSON, not a force, and (2) GOD. He is a Divine Person, given to us. He also said in the New Birth the Spirit will INDWELL us forever: “He will be WITHIN YOU.” So He taught in the New Covenant the Spirit will indwell all believers forever. He explained the connection between the NEW BIRTH and the SPIRIT WITHIN in Mark 2:22. First, God must make our wineskin (spirit) new, and then He can put the NEW WINE of His SPIRIT WITHIN us. Old wineskins were renewed by rubbing them with oil. Likewise in the New Birth, our old spirits were made new and holy by the application of the OIL of the SPIRIT, making them able to receive the NEW WINE of the SPIRIT WITHIN. Then after they received His Spirit within on the day of His resurrection, during the 40 days He prepared them to receive the SPIRIT UPON, which they did at Pentecost (Acts 2). On the morning Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended to Heaven, before returning to earth and appearing to His disciples for the next 40 days, before His final Ascension (John 20:16-17). The 4 Purposes for His first Ascension: (1) To fulfil the Feast of First Fruits on the day of His resurrection (1Corinthians 15:20-23). The First Fruits of the harvest must be offered up and waved before God, to be accepted by God on behalf of the whole harvest (Leviticus 23:10-11). Therefore, He had to ascend to Heaven and appear before God to offer Himself as the First Fruits, to be accepted on our behalf. (2) To present His Blood in Heaven (Hebrews 9:12). Thus, it was not appropriate for Mary to touch Him before He made these holy offerings to God. But after He came back from Heaven, He allowed other women and His disciples to touch Him (Matthew 28:9, Luke 24:39, John 20:27). (3) To receive all authority in Heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18, Philippians 2:9-11, Daniel 7:13-14). (4) To receive the Holy Spirit on our behalf, in order to pour Him out (Acts 2:33). He must have received the Spirit from the Father on the resurrection morning, as already that evening, He imparted the Spirit to His disciples (John 20:22).

How should we respond to all the things that happen to us in life, especially the bad things. One of the great promises of God is that: "God all things work together for good to those who are loving God, the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). So as long as we keep loving God through the trial, we can thank God that He will work all things (including evil things) together for our ultimate good, the fulfilment of His wonderful eternal plan and purpose for us, which is described in Romans 8:29-30. God does not cause evil things but He can work them all for our good, because on the Cross He paid the change any curse into blessing (Galatians 3:13-14). In view of this truth, that God is greater than all these things that we face in life, Paul asks how should we respond to these things, or more precisely: "What, then, shall we SAY to these THINGS?" (v31a). It is clear that we are not to be a passive doormat, when bad things happen. These things speak to us and try to create negative thoughts in us, which satan will amplify if we let him, saying things like: "you are a guilty failure, under condemnation, God does not love you anymore, you are separated from His love and He will not fulfil His promises to you. We are meant to actively respond by SPEAKING God's Word back to these THINGS (v31a). The famous climactic verses of Romans 8:31b-39 actually describe the things God wants us to proclaim in the face of all these things that come against us. For example, we should say: "God is for me, who can be against Me?" (v31b), "God gave Me His own Son, surely He will also freely give us all things" (v32), He will work all things together for my good" (v28), "Who shall bring a charge against me for I am God’s elect. It is God who has justified me. There is no condemnation for me in Christ, for Christ has died for me and paid the penalty for my sins, and now represents me before God" (v1,33-34), "nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ?" (v35-36,38-39), for: "in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Christ, who loved me by dying for me on the Cross, and who loves me now and forever" (v37).

"SEEK the LORD and His STRENGTH; SEEK His FACE forevermore!” (Psalm 105:1-4). Derek reveals the BENEFITS of SEEKING the Lord. When we SEEK His FACE, His Hand of STRENGTH comes upon our hearts, filling them with His life (like a hand filling a glove), righteousness, love, joy, peace, and wisdom (Proverbs 21:1, John 7:37-39, Ezra 8:22, Hosea 10:12, Philippians 4:6-7, Romans 5:5, Psalm 16:11, 40:16, Isaiah 40:29-31, Amos 5:4, Psalm 69:32). SEEK first His PRESENCE, before His PRESENTS! (Matthew 6:33).