Fruitful Living
Testing for genuine baptism in the Spirit
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentile. – Acts 10:44-45.
INTRODCUTION
God’s Word directs and instructs those who believe in and follow Christ to use godly discernment (i.e., wisdom that brings true understanding) and make proper judgements about all things that might appear to be from the Holy Spirit. “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” – 1 John 4:1.
The following Biblical principles give guidance when we are trying to determine whether a person who claims or appears to have been baptised in the Holy Spirit has truly had an experience from God.
1. A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will inspire us to love, honour and worship God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ more than before. It is the Holy Spirit who causes love for God to grow in our hearts. “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:5. But any spiritual experience that draws our attention, prayers, worship or affections toward anything or anyone other than God and the Lord Jesus is not from God.
2. A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will make us more attentive to our relationship with the heavenly Father, assuring us that He loves and cares for us as His children. It also will lead to a greater awareness of Christ’s presence in our daily lives. But any spiritual experience that does not result in a deeper friendship with Christ and a deeper awareness of God’s care and companionship is not from God.
3. A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will cause a greater love for and appreciation of God’s Word. The Spirit of truth inspired those who wrote God’s Word to write exactly what God wanted to communicate, and He will deepen our love for and devotion to the truth of God’s Word. But any spiritual experience that does not increase our hunger to read and obey God’s Word is not from God.
4.A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will deepen our love and concern for other followers of Christ. True Christian companionship and community must be based on unity that comes from the Spirit. But any spiritual experience that hinders or lessens our love for those who truly aim to follow Jesus as the authority in their lives is not from God.
5.A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit must be preceded by true repentance (admitting and turning from our own sinful way and surrendering to Christ) and by faithful obedience to Christ. “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38.The spiritual effects and influence of the baptism in the Spirit will continue only as long as we allow God’s Spirit to keep purifying our lives, developing our character and preparing us for God’s purposes. This includes depending on the Holy Spirit to lead us and to help us overcome the sinful tendencies of our human nature – to “put to death the misdeeds of the body” and to be “led by the Spirit of God”. But any person who has not accepted Christ’s forgiveness and been set free from sin (being led by the desire of his or her own sinful nature) cannot experience a true baptism in the Holy Spirit. Any power that appears to be on that person is from another source and is likely the deceptive activity of Satan.
6.A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will increase our dissatisfaction with nay activities that offend God and defy His spiritually pure nature. It will also turn us from the selfish pursuit of earthly riches and reputation. But any spiritual experience that allows the acceptance of ungodly beliefs behaviours and lifestyles that are common in the world is not from God. This is because the true followers of Christ “have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God”.
7.A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will give us a greater desire and power to spread the message about forgiveness, spiritual salvation and the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. But any spiritual experience that does not result in a greater desire to see others come to know Christ personally is not from God.
8. A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will cause us to be more open and receptive to the Spirit’s work and purposes within the church as a whole (among all Christ’s true followers) and in our individual lives. This includes the exercise of spiritual gifts (special God-given abilities for the purpose of honouring Him and benefiting others), particularly the gift of speaking in tongues, which is presented in Acts as the initial outward sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” – Acts 2:4
9.A genuine baptism in the Holy Spirit will cause us to be more conscious of the work, guidance and presence of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. After being baptised in the Spirit, followers of Christ were continually conscious of the Spirit’s presence power and guidance. But any spiritual experience that does not increase our awareness of the Spirit’s presence and strengthen our desire to follow His leading is not a genuine experience of God’s Spirit. In addition, anything that does not reinforce our goal to please God, to accomplish His purpose for our lives and to live in such a way that we promote His work in every respect is not from God. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” – Ephesians 4:30; “Do not quench the Spirit” – 1 Thessalonians 5:19
COME, HOLY SPIRIT, HEAVENLY DOVE – MHB 292
1 COME, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all thy quickening powers;
Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.
2 In vain we tune our formal songs,
In vain we strive to rise;
Hosannas languish on our tongues,
And our devotion dies.
3 And shall we then for ever live
At this poor dying rate,
Our love so faint, so cold to Thee,
And Thine to us so great!
4 Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove,
With all Thy quickening powers;
Come, shed abroad a Saviours love,
And that shall kindle ours.
Isaac Watts – 1674 – 1748
Source: Fire Bible
Stay blessed!
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Fruitful Living
Environmental degradation in contemporary times (Part 3)
Unfortunately, some anti-social human activities today often breach these Islamic principles :
• Illegal mining (Galamsey) leads to water pollution and destroys fertile lands.
• Improper sand mining causes land degradation and deforestation.
• Unauthorised tree felling endangers ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Encroachment on wetlands and water ways leads to urban flooding and ecological imbalance.
These destructive practices violate the ethical duty of humans as stewards of the earth and
contradict both Islamic law and state regulations.
Key International
Environmental Protocols
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands – Adopted in 1971, Iran
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – Adopted in 1982, Jamaica
• Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – Adopted in 1987
• Convention on Biological Diversity – Opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit, 1992
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – Adopted in 1992
• Kyoto Protocol – Adopted in 1997, Japan
• Paris Agreement on Climate Change – Adopted in 2015
These protocols aim to promote sustainable environmental practices, mitigate climate change, and preserve natural habitats. Islam’s emphasis on balance, responsibility, and justice aligns with the goals of these agreements.
Provisions in the 1992
Constitution of Ghana
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana upholds environmental protection:
• Article 36(9): “The State shall take appropriate measures needed to protect and
safeguard the national environment for posterity.”
• Article 41(k): “It shall be the duty of every citizen to protect and safeguard the
environment.”
These provisions demonstrate that environmental responsibility is a constitutional duty for both state and citizens.
National Legal Statutes on
Environmental Protection
Ghana has enacted various environmental laws, including:
• Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490).
This law established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the main state
institution responsible for protecting and improving Ghana’s environment.
The EPA monitors pollution, regulates industrial activities, issues environmental permits, and
ensures that development projects undergo Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)
before approval.
Purpose: To control pollution and ensure sustainable environmental practices in industries, agriculture, and urban development.
Fruitful Living
Renewing our minds (Part 1)
When someone accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, “he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17. That is why Apostle Paul advises us in Romans 12:2 (our key text) “do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” But it doesn’t end there.
A MIND TRANSFORMED
Nature abhors vacuums so when something is taken away from a space and that space is not quickly refilled, other things will start creeping in to fill up the space. The Bible gives an illustration of what happens when a vacuum is created in the life of a believer: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”- Matthew 12:43-45.
A believer’s Christian experience is supposed to move from the initial phase of justification by faith in Christ, to daily sanctification for holy living, to glorification at Jesus’ second coming, and to eventual restoration to the pre-fall harmony between God and man. Knowing that the heart of a believer cannot be left empty after clearing it of the worldly things, Paul gives the prescription for daily sanctification with which to fill the vacuum: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
WHAT KIND OF
TRANSFORMATION?
Transformation is defined as “a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance or a metamorphosis during the life cycle of an animal.” We find these kinds of transformation happening all the time around us. Examples include a baby that we see twenty years later as an adult, a cancer survivor who has regained lost weight, a new mother we saw last when she was eight months pregnant.
I have seen many actors and actresses in real life whose faces do not look as flawless at close range as they do on TV. I now know that the credit for their on-screen transformation often belongs to makeup. Similarly, a smelly room can be transformed with air freshener, people with the right clothing, and a gloomy room with the right colours and objects.
No doubt all of these examples of transformation look good, but they are all external and non-lasting forms of transformation. They are definitely not the kind of transformation Paul has in mind as capable of filling the vacuum left by non-conformity with the world’s pattern. He says, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The right kind of transformation that he’s talking about here is not the one that comes from make-up slathered on, or having a particular dress on, or the right colors thrown here and there. It is the kind that comes “by the renewing of the mind.” What then is the state of the human mind that it needs to be thus renewed?
- By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, the author
