The Seal of the Spirit Lesson --------------------------------------------------- What is the Seal of the Spirit? Why do you need it? What purpose does it serve? What is your daily responsibility with it? As the apostles of Jesus Christ restore the Church back to her first love and the first works of the New Covenant these very important questions are being answered and the function of the Seal of the Holy Spirit is again being understood and experienced. The Seal of the Spirit, also known as the Baptism of the Spirit, was prophesied of by the Prophet Joel, the Prophet Isaiah and the Prophet John of Jordan. Joe 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:” Isa 28:11-12, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This [is] the rest [wherewith] ye may cause the weary to rest; and this [is] the refreshing: yet they would not hear.” Mar 1:8, “I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” When a person desires to be converted to the Faith of Jesus Christ they must follow the pattern of conversion that God has set in Jesus Christ. A full conversion to Christ includes 4 steps: 1. Repentance from sin 2. Receive the Testimony of Christ 3. Receive the Baptism of Christ 4. Agree to the Covenant of Christ 1. Repentance from sin: Because we were all born into the system of sin, our nature does not reflect the glory of God, rather it reflects the darkness of sin. As we grew up we ignorantly built with the instincts of our fallen nature and this produced the fruits of sin in our soul. God calls all that activity, the system it came from and the fruits it bore in us sin. This impact of sin upon the soul can best be described as a house after a fire. Everything inside is burned, unrecognizable, unusable and the stench is offensive. The system of sin, the fruit of sin and the knowledge of sin was what was true to us and what shaped our perceptions, character and convictions. We continually offended God as what came forth from our hearts reflected ourselves, confirmed ourselves, and exalted ourselves. God calls us to turn away from this system and repent of our sins. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. 2. Receive the Testimony of Christ: When Jesus was on the earth He gave a testimony of Himself. He testified that: a. He is the Son of God: “Then they all said, ‘Are You then the Son of God?’ So He said to them, ‘You rightly say that I am’” (Luke 22:70). b. He is the only way the Father: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). c. He is the door: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10: 9) d. He is the Living Bread: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever (John 6:51) e. He is the light of the world: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12) f. His Death as a #Propitiation for our sins and His Resurrection from the grave: This is a part of the testimony of Christ. 3. Agree to service to God by Covenant of Christ: A covenant is an agreement for your service to God, and the New Covenant is the agreement of God through Jesus Christ, whereby if you will keep this covenant and its terms & commandments for holy and divine service to the Father, God will save your soul by transforming it and give you eternal life. Again, a covenant is designed for service to God. The covenant we are joining our faith to is not the Covenant of Moses, it is the Covenant of Christ. The knowledge of what is contained in the Covenant, and how you are to express your faith by the tools of the Covenant, comes directly from the apostles, through instruction. Therefore you are agreeing to receive instruction in the Covenant knowledge (called the Doctrine of Christ) by the apostles of Christ. We provide this to you always at no cost. As you learn the knowledge and tools of the Covenant from the apostles you are learning how to: • build the invisible, spiritual Altar of Christ in your inward man (the temple of God not made with hands) • function as a royal priest to God at the Altar of Christ with proper spiritual sacrifices • worship God in Spirit and truth through the holy tools of Christ • fulfill Gods purpose for your life • increase the kingdom of God and your soul with the fruits and virtues of Christ • overcome sin, yourself, the world and the devil • understand how Jesus Christ manifests Himself to you • experience daily the fullness of Christ to your soul • distinguish (test) the spirits successfully • experience peace, joy, rest, holiness, regeneration and the renewing of your mind • live by, grow by and steward the grace (power) God gives for your growth • keep your soul preserved in the love of God • build the Body of Christ up in the love of God • love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your brethren as yourself 4. Receive the Baptism of Christ: After repenting of sin and receiving or believing on the testimony Jesus Christ gave of Himself, and agreeing to serve the Lord by His covenant, we must ask the Lord to baptize us with His Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit is to seal the righteousness of your faith to the Covenant of Christ. The baptism of the Spirit will be witnessed by the evidence of tongues, which means you will know you have been baptized through the evidence of the granting of the witness of tongues. Tongues then becomes your first spiritual tool to use daily as a part of your worship of God. ~~~~The Evidence You Have Received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit~~~~ As we see in the book of Acts, the evidence of receiving the Seal is the receiving of the token of tongues. The token of tongues is the sign that God has sealed the righteousness of your faith. Acts 19:6, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” Acts 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The gift of tongues (the prayer language, not the gift of tongues that is one of the 9 gifts of the Spirit) is the evidence, or “token” of your faith being sealed in righteousness and sealed to the covenant of Jesus Christ. As we said, this token now becomes the very first spiritual tool of worship within the New Covenant. See instructions at the end of lesson for how to use this “2nd covenant worship tool.” Abraham’s (the Father of Faith) Example of Obedience to Receive the Seal of Faith When God initiated the (Old) Covenant with Moses, he #commanded that the covenant be sealed by the act of circumcision. We can see this written in both the Old and New Testaments. Genesis 17:11, “And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.” Romans 4:11, “And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe.” The physical act of circumcision was the ‘physical’ sign of Abraham’s obedience to agree to the terms of the covenant of God, thus circumcision was the evident token of the righteousness of his faith toward God and the sealing of his faith to the covenant. It is evident that a seal was necessary to be joined to God by covenant and Abraham exhibited FAITH as he received the seal (which was a physical sign in his flesh). ~~~Obedience to Receive The New Covenant Seal of Faith ~~~ Just as in the Old Covenant, the seal is part of a pattern of FAITH necessary in order to be joined to the New Covenant Agreement with God. As we mentioned earlier, a covenant is for service to God. When sinners do not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and instruction by apostles after repentance and confession of faith in Jesus Christ, they don’t know how to serve God and they begin to wander on a journey looking for meaning, purpose and the will of God. Why? Because they sense the disconnection in their soul that the Baptism and service through covenant would provide them for contact with the Father. Being without this then, they become victimized by Satan’s many schemes of merchandising through false ministers and false gospels that promise deliverance, purpose and direction, but fail to deliver. If you desire to serve the Lord you must agree to render this service by the New Covenant priesthood terms and be instructed in these holy terms. The Seal of the Spirit is a spiritual sign that your faith is accepted of God as righteous and that He has sealed you to His covenant. We ask that if you are not yet sealed that you begin now to spend time in prayer each day until the Lord baptizes you. Spend at least 30 minutes or more, alone in prayer, petitioning God for this precious gift and seal. After this sealing, instruction in the Foundation of Truth must be given to you by the apostles’ office. Now that we have addressed the importance of receiving the Seal, let’s review the distinctions between the different manifestations of tongues. ~~~~Disambiguation of Tongues for Personal Edification, Tongues as 1 of 9 gifts of the Spirit and Tongues for Evangelism~~~~ There is much confusion surrounding tongues and its manifestations and purposes. A short disambiguation where will assist the Church to understand the differences and have confidence to use what God provides for our spiritual growth. 1. Tongues for Personal Edification: As Apostle Jude commands in Jude 20 that we build up ourselves in the most holy faith, thus we accomplish this as we pray in tongues. This unknown language of tongues brings a powerful form of edification that God has designed for the Soul. I Cor.14:4: “…….He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself;” Praying in tongues also brings spiritual healing to the soul. I Cor.14:2: “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” The unknown tongue we are using is the language of the Spirit, which communicates to God through intercession, what He is observing in the soul that needs healing. Again, the soul is stained with sin and must be healed, which is a daily process God oversees. These utterances that come from your mouth at the “mysteries” we are speaking, being that which is not known to us, (the depth of the stain and fruit of sin embedded in our soul caverns) but known to the Spirit as He searches out the damage of sin (infirmities) within these caverns of the soul. We see this confirmed in Rom.8:26-29: Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray as we ought; but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” God issues grace to us as we pray in tongues, and this grace is a persuading influence upon the soul and spirit to cause us to yield to the Spirit. In order to be daily sustained in God’s peace and daily grow in Christ’s fruits, our communion must be by the holy tools of the New Covenant, tongues being the very first tool the Lord Jesus grants. 2. Tongues as a 1 of the 9 gifts of the Spirit: in 1 Cor 12 Apostle Paul identifies the 9 supernatural gifts of the Spirit which manifest as the Spirit wills. Included in these 9 gifts is the gift of tongues that is accompanied by the gift of interpretation; Paul makes a strong distinction concerning this gift and its difference from the tongues that accompanies the baptism of the Spirit. The gift of tongues as the Spirit wills is for the edification of all The gift of tongues as the Spirit wills is accompanied by interpretation. The Spirit does not use every person with this gift and it is for the edification of all 3. Tongues as 1 of the 9 gifts, for evangelism: We see this on the day of Pentecost, where some of the apostles spoke in languages that were not native to them. This was by the Spirit, as He gave them utterance. Summary: The nine gifts of the Spirit are listed in I Corinthians chapter 12. Each gift is a supernatural manifestation of God. Tongues and the interpretation of tongues are two of the nine gifts. While all Christians will be used of God in the gifts, these are manifested as the Spirit wills, and God uses them for the edification of the Body. This is why the apostle Paul taught, Even so you, forasmuch as you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church, I Cor.14;12. It is because the gifts of the Spirit are manifested as the Spirit wills that the apostle Paul taught, Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? I Cor.12:30. This refers to the gifts of the Spirit (tongues #2 which requires interpretation), not the baptism of the Holy Spirit (this is tongues #1, which is your prayer language and the 1st tool of the New Covenant for worship). No, all do not have the gift of tongues or the gift of interpretation. The Spirit of God moves through some with a word of knowledge, some with a word of wisdom, some with tongues and some with interpretation. Tongues #1: A Token from God; A Spiritual Sign Providing for Conversion, Contact with God, Daily Sanctification, a Tool for Service and Healing Just as circumcision was a physical sign of entering into the Covenant of Moses, the Seal of the Spirit is a spiritual sign of your faith joined to the New Covenant. We cannot serve God in the New Covenant while being “in the world” or “of the world,” (being defiled by the knowledge and experiences we learned from the world) therefore this baptism is also the beginning point of your sanctification, or your separation unto Him for contact, service and healing. The Seal then becomes a tool whereby through our daily usage of it, we are having daily contact with God and He separates us from the philosophies, ideologies, false perceptions, emotional wounds, etc., and heals us from the power and stain of sin, that our service to Him might be by grace and in holiness. Let’s look at this a little closer: a. The Token of tongues brings spiritual healing: The baptism of the Holy Spirit separates a believer unto God. It separates the believer from the world and joins him to God through His Spirit. This separation process occurs daily whereby the Father takes ownership of our soul and as a parent He begins to scourge the soul with truth, purging it from sin, much like we observe in the process of washing our clothes in a washing machine. This process brings spiritual healing, assisting us to depart from iniquity. When we say ‘depart from iniquity’ we are saying that the believer is learning how to cease from resourcing what it formerly resourced, that is, the knowledge of the world, the fruits of sin, the powers of the flesh (the instincts and rhythm of our first birth), the imagination, the moral convictions, the signature, etc. as a tool from which to reflect and express faith to God. 2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Today there are many gospels that teach how you “know yourself and be an expert on yourself.” This is actually the very definition of iniquity, or in other words, how to resource your own self and what you possess to offer that to God in sacrifice and worship. Departing from iniquity is a 2nd covenant commandment and again, speaks of how we must lay aside our instincts and what we were born with (because they are sin). We are not to resource these things of our self life in our walk with God, therefore the spiritual healing God performs upon us by the mediation of Christ separates us from the desire and proclivity to resource “ourselves”. This is called ‘spiritual healing’ and means we are being healed from the fruit and power of sin within us and its persuading influence upon us. The priesthood of the believer as taught by the apostles delivers a blueprint for faith and reveals how to serve God acceptably at His spiritual altar. Through your service at this holy Altar with this holy blueprint and token of tongues you will experience this promise of Christ’s healing. b. The Beginning of Your Conversion Takes Place When You are Sealed: As we have covered earlier in the lesson the Seal of the Spirit is the 4th step in conversion. In the present church system education, believers are not taught to accept the testimony of Christ, rather are taught to ‘accept Jesus as their personal savior’ by ‘inviting them into their hearts.’ Consequently, they are indoctrinated to believe that they are ‘saved’ because they have ‘invited Jesus into their heart’. However, these declarations do not join a person to God in covenant, and without being joined to Christ’s covenant there is no genuine conversion or contact with Him. Conversion is a process. We begin our conversion when we are sealed. Through receiving the education of truth from the apostles, we understand our daily responsibilities of serving God and through this daily service we are daily being converted. Converted from what? Converted from having our confidence in what our pride validates and building with that knowledge system, to having our confidence in grace and building with Christ’s truth. Conversion means we are being translated from one kingdom to another, and we are adapting to the environment of Grace and Truth from the environment of Sin and False Knowledge. Truly the steps of receiving the grace of God by yielding in faith and receiving the Baptism (Seal) of the Spirit are overlooked and ignored, because the Church has lacked the knowledge of the doctrine of Christ, which is revealed and distributed through His apostles. c. Tool for Divine Contact: In the present church education contact with God is presumed to happen by whatever the believer imagines, touches, or confesses. True contact with God is for the purpose of service and spiritual transformation. With the random and shifting way in which the Church devises means to have contact with God, we can see that there is no standard. Yet God always provides a standard of righteousness for contact that is not common to man, but common to Him, so that we can easily identify the standard and any deviations from the standard. Through this righteous standard of contact God promises to bless us, and make our contact profitable for saving our souls. Tongues is a divine tool that brings the soul into divine contact with God wherein He oversees this promised spiritual change. As we have seen in this lesson, the first step in receiving Christ and salvation is to receive the Seal of the Spirit. We suggest that you spend about 30 minutes in prayer every day petitioning God for the Seal. Once you have received it, please write in and let us know that you have received it. ~~~Your Labor with the Token of Tongues: Exercising it by Daily Using It~~~ When you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you will want to exercise your will and “choose” to use this tool of prayer each day. As a summary: 1. Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth: As we have taught you, using the tool of tongues brings you into contact with the Holy Spirit, and it is by the Holy Spirit that we are authorized and sanctified to fellowship with the Father. This is how we commune with the Spirit, and the Spirit is God. 2. Experiencing healing in your soul: The Spirit is searching the caverns of your soul, plotting a course for inward healing from the prior effects of iniquity sustained while in the kingdom of darkness. The apostles referred to this as “remissions of sins” which is separate from forgiveness of sins (which you received when you accepted the testimony of Christ.) Remissions of sins is also experienced as the “purging of the conscience” or the “washing of the water of the word” by the Spirit. We experience this on a daily basis as long as we are faithful to touch God by this powerful tool. 3. Building yourself up in the most holy faith: When the apostles spoke of this they were referring to how we experience a strong edification and comfort to our soul. Edification is the experience of the will being humbled to the grace of God and I assure you, it is something you will come to value and expect. This is because the appetite is being reset to the grace of God and one it becomes reset, the soul is not satisfied with anything less. The feeling of edification is quite extraordinary; sometimes it feels like a wave washing over your soul, sometimes it feels like burdens are being released from within. Sometimes you can feel a strong presence of God and you experience a clarity and singleness of thoughts. We are not saying it is earth shattering each time, but you will surely come to know the many different beautiful ways in which the Lord touches the soul as we fellowship in tongues, and it will always bring edification to the soul. 4. Prayer each day: Please set a goal to pray in tongues at least an hour a day. If this is too much in the beginning, break it up into segments, start with 10 minute segments, several times a day. Then increase each day. Although you can pray in tongues anywhere at any time, do set aside some time where you are not distracted, to give yourself over to this holy form of worship. As you daily make a choice to exercise your will with the tool of tongues, you will experience tangible spiritual growth in Jesus Christ. God has an “intelligent design” for the transformation of the soul. This process follows a pattern that Jesus set and includes our daily participation with all the tools He shed His blood to provide through the new covenant. As you proceed through the Orientation Program and the Foundation Series you will learn all the spiritual tools and how to use them. Through this education we are empowering your faith and giving you back “ownership” of it, so that you can manage your growth and make righteous choices by understanding the design God has set upon the soul for increase and how He has provided tangible spiritual tools for our meeting of His expectations for spiritual increase. Truly the yoke of Christ is easy and light (as He said). As you go through these doctrinal lessons, you will marvel at the liberty and richness of faith Christ has provided by His covenant terms and tools. Once again, we ask that when you have received the ‘Seal’, please write in and let us know that you have received it. This lesson is the intellectual property of the Apostles’ Office. It is intended for the students of the Apostles’ Center only. Permission must be granted in writing for any other uses.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 02:29:48 +0000
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