A Letter Response
Here is my answer to a letter I received recently. Perhaps it will help someone else. The writer of the letter had been advised to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
There is so much deception rampant in the world we have to have Bible support for what we believe.
There is no Bible support for trying to have "a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit." In fact, this idea would grieve the Spirit because He has been charged with obtaining a bride for the Father's Son.
Can you imagine the brother of Rebekah seeking a relationship with Eliezer of Damascus, who is a type of the Holy Spirit?
I will tell you where this is coming from; and I believe what I have to tell you may help you to escape from error as it has me:
The False Prophet, of the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, is composed of Christians who are seeking the power of the Holy Spirit. But they are doing this because of their desire for self-aggrandizement and power.
As I have been saying for the last thirty three years in Poway, the Charismatic movement is going to be split over the personal cross of the believer. The great majority will choose to evade the cross and go out to "do great things for God."
A small minority will take their lives and gifts and bring them to the feet of Jesus, saying, "Not my will but Yours be done."
Jesus will take these faithful few and bring them through every frustration, confusion, denial of their most intense desires, until He is satisfied they are dead-living people. These are His firstfruits.
The majority will join ranks with Antichrist and encourage (or force) the obedience of the people of the nations into being their own gods; into using money for their power; into using science in place of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation from God.
The False Prophet, the crossless-Christians, will work miracles in the name of the Lamb, but they will speak with the voice of the dragon, that is, the voice of self-will.
This is the motive behind seeking familiarity with the Holy Spirit.
On another topic: You are going to see increasingly wicked behavior as the days go by. Here is a suggestion. When you can do little or nothing about the present abominations, do not fret yourself. Fretting leads to sin. Go to Christ and ask Him what you should do. Perhaps He is using these abominations to bring people to Himself, and you do not want to prevent this.
Whatever is lovely, whatever is happy, whatever is joyous, think on these things. Lift your eyes to Him who has President Obama's very breath in His hands.
I think God is going to save numerous homosexuals and Muslims in the coming days. Our part is to avoid fretting, to live a life before God that is sternly obedient to Him, and to practice righteousness and kindliness in our thoughts, minds, and actions.
God cannot save people if they see anger in us.
Of course their behavior is abominable. But Christ died for them. As you have peace and are looking to the Lord Jesus, He might bring a Lesbian to you, a young girl with mascara running down her face because the Holy Spirit brought to her remembrance the days when she sat in her grandpa's lap and he read to her from the Bible.
Are you ready to love her and bring her to Jesus so He can put His arms around her and kiss away her guilt?
Love and blessings,
Pastor Thompson