Tag: Supernatural

September 6 2019

The Anatomy of an Encounter with God (Part 2)

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Holy Spirit, Personal Discipleship Acts 9, Christianity, discover your calling, Dreams, encounters with god, falling under the power of God, God encounters, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Supernatural, Visions 1

What happens when we have an encounter with the Lord? In part 1, we discussed that God alone chooses ‘when’ and ‘how’ your encounter will happen. In this post, however, I want to explore what actually happens when God shows up. There seems to be some elements of an encounter with the Lord, that appear over and over again in scripture. Today, we will look at three of them.

We will continue with Saul’s encounter with the Lord in Acts 9, as we explore these things.

Element 1: God takes CONTROL

The first thing that happened when the great light surrounded Saul and his men, was that Saul lost control of himself. Acts 9:4 tells us that Saul fell to the ground, and verse 8 tells us that he was no longer able to see.

This is a common theme when the Lord shows up. We see the same thing with every time a prophet of the Lord is called into His presence. In Revelation 1:17, John tells us that upon viewing Jesus, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” The same thing happens to the priests in the Old Testament, when the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the temple:

“And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”
1 Kings 8:10–11

One other example, and possibly my favorite, actually happened with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the soldiers came to arrest Him.

“Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”
John 18:4–6

In many cases, the presence of God overtakes our own ability to control our bodies. When we lose control, there is no other option, except to submit to Him.

Element 2: We are overcome with CONVICTION

The second thing that happens in an encounter with the Lord is that our sin is brought into clear focus, and a strong conviction from the Lord leads us to repent.

In Saul’s case, we see this as Jesus speaks to him: “And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’” (Acts 9:4–5).

Saul had been a self-righteous Pharisee his whole life. He thought that his persecution against the church was an action in defense of God and true religion. However, when this encounter takes place, the error of his ways becomes very clear. God doesn’t beat around the bush. Saul’s actions were a direct sin against the Lord Himself.

Other Examples

This element of an encounter, too, is repeated over and over in scripture. When God shows up, it is to restore righteousness in the people He is touching. Take Isaiah’s encounter for instance. He is taken into the heavens, and he sees the Lord sitting on the throne. All the angels are there, worshipping. And what is Isaiah’s response?

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:5–7

When we have an encounter with the Lord, it is because He wants to draw us closer to Himself, and take us further in our lives with Him. In order to do that, He has to bring us to a full “heart check,” wherein we realize our sin, make confession, and come out purified.

We see this same thing in Zechariah’s dream of the high priest, Joshua:

“Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to him he said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.’”
Zechariah 3:3–4

In an encounter with the Lord, either He convicts us and makes us clean, or there is judgement leading to death. There is no other option. His goal is to have deeper intimacy with us, but His presence demands our holiness.

Element 3: We discover our CALLING

The final element that happens in an encounter is that the Lord will reveal more of His plan for our lives. Again, He is taking us further on our life’s journey with Him, and He wants to use us.

For Saul, this element came in through his instructions of what to do next. Jesus said, “but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:6). God then commissions Ananias to pray for Saul, saying, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15–16).

It was through this encounter that Saul is changed from a persecutor of the church, to an Apostle to the gentiles. His destiny was revealed.

In the grand scheme of things, those three days being blinded and out of control were but a tiny speck of time, compared to the lasting impact Saul (now Paul) had on the Kingdom of God. God had to grab control, and convict him of sin, so that Paul could be sent out to fulfill the calling on his life.

For some people, the calling that comes in an encounter with the Lord is simply the calling to be saved, and follow Jesus with their lives. For others, it is a calling to be better husbands or wives, and serve Him through their family. Some are called into careers and professions that will impact the world. Many are called into the ministry, with a promise of reaching nations.

While some of these things may sound “bigger” than others, the truth is that an encounter with God will change your life, personally, for the better. His calling will be the greatest adventure of your life, if you accept what He is asking of you.

Seeking Your Encounter

Once again, these three elements on an encounter are always evident when the Lord shows up. God wants to take control of your life, convict you of your sin, and call you into your destiny. And we should desire Him to do all of those things.

In the next post, we will explore the effects of an encounter, but for today, I want to encourage you, to begin to pray and ask God for your own supernatural encounter with Him. It doesn’t matter if you have had other encounters in the past. There is always more for those who ask Him (see Matthew 7:11).

Pray for more. Pray for visions or visitations. Ask God to show up and meet with you. He promises that we will find Him when we seek Him (see Jeremiah 29:13).

Each time I have had encounters with the Lord’s presence, I have been left hungering for more. I’m sure you will, too. I would love to hear about your experience in the comments! Make sure and tell us how these elements of an encounter appeared in yours.

Find out More

If you want to read more about personal encounters with the Lord, and how they can shape your life, I would like to recommend the book, “Defining Moments: God-Encounters With Ordinary People Who Changed the World.”

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September 2 2019

The Anatomy of an Encounter with God (Part 1)

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Holy Spirit, Personal Discipleship Acts 7:58, Acts 9, angelic visitations, Bible, Dreams, encounters with god, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Saul becomes Paul, stoning of stephen, Supernatural, supernatural life, trances 0

Since the days when Adam walked face-to-face with God in the Garden of Eden, people of faith have been moved and led by encounters with the Lord. Over and over again in the Old Testament, “the Angel of the Lord” appeared to men and women, and spoke prophecies and destiny to them. The New Testament carries on this expectation that encounters would be normal for believers. We see angelic visitations, open visions, trances or “ecstasies”, and even personal encounters with Christ, after his ascension. The Christian life is not supposed to be simple, religious activity. It is supposed to be a personal relationship with the Lord. In view of this reality, I want us to look at the anatomy of an encounter with God.

Saul’s Encounter

As an example of an encounter with God, I want us to look at Saul’s travel on the Damascus road, when God showed up.

If you know Saul’s background, you know that we first meet him at the stoning of Stephen. As the men were trying to get their best shots in to kill Stephen, there was a young man named Saul standing by, holding their coats, and encouraging them (see Acts 7:58; 8:1). After Stephen was dead, Saul took it upon himself to lead a great persecution of anyone in Jerusalem who were followers of Jesus.

Apparently, it was effective. Most of the disciples had fled from Jerusalem, or went well enough into hiding to escape. Saul, then, decides to take the persecution on the road. The Bible tells us:

“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice…”
Acts 9:1-4; English Standard Version

The Timing of the Encounter

Saul was on his way to Damascus to destroy believers, just as he had been doing in Jerusalem, when suddenly God shows up. “Suddenly.” This is the first point I want to look at as we discuss how an encounter with God happens. You do not get to determine when it comes.

From my limited human wisdom, it seems that if God had come to Saul much sooner, it would have saved the church a lot of heartache and struggle. He didn’t. Instead, He waited until Saul was out on the road. He was separated from the comforts and connections of home, and had nowhere to turn for help. That is when God decided to step in and meet him.

This seems to be God’s standard mode of operation. He alone will determine when our encounter happens. We can pray for an encounter, and seek to meet Him. We can (and should) ask Him to break into our lives, but He will be the one who ultimately decides when it happens.

The Sovereignty of Suddenly

We cannot miss, however, that when God breaks in, it is always a holy moment. As we will see in part 2, we are always left changed by these encounters. One reason we cannot dictate when these moments come, is because God has to prepare everything at that moment, to contain the weight of the glory He will bring.

I have had a handful of encounters with God over the years. Still, I want more. I wish they would happen regularly and on demand, but they don’t. However, when they do happen, it is always a holy moment (or hour, or day…). I think God has to determine when the encounter comes, because He alone knows what the encounter is going to bring into your life.

So don’t give up. You should be pursuing God for an encounter. Yet you must also be patient in the anticipation of Him showing up.

The Method of the Encounter

The other thing about an encounter with God, which we cannot control, is how God shows up in our life. For Paul, it was a bright light and a voice from heaven. It was the burning bush for Moses. Isaiah took a vision-trip into Heaven. For Mary, it was an angel coming to meet her with good news.

As we desire encounters from the Lord, it is easy to see the experience of others, and decide that we want our experience to be the same. Once again, however, it is the Lord who knows what He wants to bring to you in the encounter, and He will show up in the exact way He sees fit to deliver.

The Glory and the Fire

Some encounters are beautiful and glory-filled. Think about John’s vision in Revelation, and all the amazing things he was shown. Other encounters are fearful and even painful, just like Saul being knocked from his horse. Todd White recounts his own “baptism of fire,” where he was in excruciating pain, convinced God wanted to kill him. Many other personal encounters in history have been the same

I, myself, have received both of these versions. In an encounter in 2012, when Dr. Randy Clark of Global Awakening prayed for me, I slid down to the floor, and peacefully rested in the presence of the Holy Spirit, as His glory washed over me. What followed immediately was clear evidence of an impartation for healing. It was an amazing, holy encounter with God.

Just a few months later, however, in March of 2013, I was prayed for by Dr. Tom Jones, of Global Awakening. This time I was violently thrown to the floor, where for the next 3 hours my shoulder was continually slammed into the cement that was covered by only a thin veneer of carpet. I was bruised and sore for days. And the truth is, I am not sure what exactly was imparted to me in that event. Nevertheless, I know that God was meeting me.

God’s Perfect Plan

We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). As we seek for an encounter with God, we must learn to wait for him to determine the perfect time and method to meet us. Again, these are holy moments. We don’t want to settle for a cheap imitation. And we certainly don’t want to get shortchanged in our rush for an experience with Him.

What I would encourage you to do is to look back over the encounters you have had in the past. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It may simply be the moment He called you to Himself in salvation. As you reflect on that encounter, I want you to take note of how only He could have put that moment together for you, and how He worked it out exactly as it needed to happen for you to receive.

As you pray for another encounter with God for your life today, hold on to the promise of His faithfulness to you, and trust that He has more He wants to give you when the time is right.

What About You?

In part two of this post, we will continue to look at Saul’s encounter with God, as we look at what happens during those holy moments. Although every encounter will be different, there are certain elements that we can expect from them all.

In the meantime, I would love to hear from you, with any stories you have of your own encounters with the Lord. It may be dreams, visions, angelic visitations, or even a face-to-face encounter with Christ. If the Lord allows you to share, I invite you to do so in the comments section below.

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

June 29 2019

Five Supernatural Works of the Holy Spirit

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life Q&A, Holy Spirit Charismata, Christian, Christian Life, Christianity, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Gospel Leadership, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Supernatural, Work of the Holy Spirit 0

On my blog, I have written much about the Holy Spirit, hearing His voice, and some of His gifts. He is one of my favorite topics. However, I have never spent much time writing generally about who He is or what He does. I want to change that. In asking the question, “What does the Holy Spirit do?,” I want to look at 5 works of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

After all, as followers of Christ, we should expect His Spirit to work in our lives! The Holy Spirit is God. He is one with the Father and the Son (Jesus). Yet, He is “God inside you.” He is always present. Once a person is saved, it is the Holy Spirit who comes to live with them; to help them and guide them in the Christian life.

He brings conviction of sin and reveals righteousness.

Jesus said in John16:8 that“ when (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” I love that the Bible does not just say that He convicts believers of sin and righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit of God who empowers human conscience to recognize right and wrong, and to feel guilt and shame when we do bad things.

This revelation of sin and righteousness is part of the ‘common grace’ God bestows on the world. It is what allows non-believers in governing roles to set up just systems of laws. This grace is what keeps communities civilized, and working for the common good. It allows restraint of our sinful nature, even when we do not believe in Him.

More than that, it is the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin and righteousness at work in people’s lives that first draw them to the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. Unless a person is aware of the separation between themselves and their creator, caused by sin, they will never seek a way to overcome the gap.

As Jesus said in John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

He is the one who gives us new life in Jesus.

In a conversation with a religious leader of Israel, Jesus was explaining how a person enters the Kingdom of God. In John 3:3-6 He says, “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus (the religious leader) said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”

We know that Jesus died for our sins, in order to allow us to be born again. Yet He tells us that it is through the work of the Holy Spirit that we are brought into God’s kingdom and family.

When a person puts their faith in Jesus, we often say things like “Jesus came into my heart.” That statement isn’t actually true, however. Jesus is seated in heaven at the right hand of God. It is the Holy Spirit who comes in and lives inside of us, mingling with our own Spirit, from the moment we believe in Christ. The Bible calls this being “sealed by the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).

As we will see shortly, this is just the first step of the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives as believers. There is so much more to come!

He makes us holy (or “sanctifies” us).

In 1 Corinthians 6:11, the Apostle Paul tells us, “ but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” It is not enough simply to be saved from sins and justified before the Father. We must be washed clean, and sanctified, which means “to be made holy.”

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, that when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and mingles with our own spirits, that He does a work to make us like Him. In fact, the command on the believer’s life is, “Be holy as I AM holy” (see 1 Peter 1:16).

As a student of history, I love reading about the great revivals of the past. What strikes me as very interesting in this study, however, is that most of the most powerful revivals did not start with miracles, healings, and supernatural wonders. They started with a conviction of sin and a great calling out to God to make us holy! The first Great Awakening in America was the international spread of what was first called The Holiness Revival in the U.K. The Welsh Revival, which preceded Azusa Street, began when a youth group confessed sin and called out to be made Holy.

This pursuit of holiness attracts the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and into our communities. Again, it shouldn’t surprise us that the Holiness movement, marked by a pursuit of “complete sanctification” in the Holy Spirt preceded the Pentecostal movement, marked by the pursuit of power.

God wants to clean us up and make us like Himself, before He wants to send us out as witnesses and examples to the world. In Him there is power and authority to resist temptation and put sin to death in ourselves. While we may never achieve perfection on this side of eternity, when we put our trust in the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives, we will definitely get closer to His perfect holiness, the longer we walk in Him.

He teaches us.

One of the more incredible things that Jesus said to His disciples is in John16:12-13: He said“ I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

I believe that the Bible is the final authority and revelation of God. It is to be trusted above all other revelatory “words.” Yet Jesus clearly says there is still more to be told to us, and that we should expect the Holy Spirit to speak to us.

As I have already written extensively on the subject of hearing God speaking to us, I will not say much here. (You can find those articles here, here, here, and here.)

However, we cannot neglect the fact that the Holy Spirit is not impersonal. He lives in us and wants to interact with us in relationship. We must listen to His teaching and wisdom for our lives!

He empowers us with gifts for His service.

One of the last things Jesus spoke to His disciples before He left was concerning the Holy Spirit’s work. In Acts 1:8 He says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” This filling of the Holy Spirit with power has historically been called “the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” This is very different than our being sealed with the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation. This is now an overtaking of our lives for service to the Kingdom of God.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit releases us to walk in the love of Christ for everyone we meet. As the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “the love of Christ controls us.” Being activated in that love, His power then comes to work releasing the Kingdom of God in power, signs and wonders.

Once a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit, they will begin to develop supernatural gifts, such as prophecy, healing, miracles, speaking in tongues, and many more. You can read about these gift in depth in 1 Corinthians 12-14, but please take note of the emphasis on love that Paul makes as He explains their use.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is secondary to salvation. This is why in the book of Acts, the question is asked multiple times of new believers, “did you receive the Holy Spirit when you first believed?” (For examples, see Acts8:14-17 and Acts 19:2.) Often, the answer was no, so the mature believers would lay hands on them and pray for them to be filled.

The truth is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for all believers, just as the rest of His works we have discussed in this post.

To wrap up, let me just say this to you, my dear reader. The Holy Spirit is still alive and active in the world. If you have never felt a conviction of your sin, or put your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, I would encourage you to say a simple prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to you. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

If you have been born again, but have never found freedom from your sin and temptations, then spend some time in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to give you power to overcome the sin in your life. Out loud, confess your sins to Him and take authority in the name of Jesus to rebuke those temptations in your life. He will empower you to find the victory.

If you have never heard the voice of God, then right now find a quiet space and simply ask Him to speak to you. If you need guidance in how to listen for Him, you can check out my other posts on that subject.

Finally, if you have never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His supernatural power to be a witness for Christ, you should begin praying for God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and release those gifts to you. If you struggle with this, then find another believer how is baptized in the Spirit, and simply ask them to lay hands on you and pray for you to receive.

All of these things are for you! We must simply ask

As Jesus said in Luke11:14, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

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