Sanctification and Power

 Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

This was first published in 1906 in the paper, Household of God, by Thomas Junk.  It was reprinted on the same year by the Apostolic Faith Mission Newsletter.

Have you accepted Jesus?

Will you accept Him?

Have you accepted Him as your sanctifier?

In John 17:15-17, Jesus prayed, "I pray not thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them through thy faith, thy word is truth.... And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they might also be sanctified through the truth."

Also in 1 Thess. 1:4, "This is the will of God even your sanctification."

Bless His dear name.  He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in unto him and sup with him and He with us."  Praises to our God. Hosanna to His omnipotent name!

If we are sanctified and have clean hearts, living pure, holy lives and having perfect love for our souls, O, let us receive the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, the promise of the Father, that we may be able to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.  For Jesus gave this great commission in His resurrection power,  after He rose from the dead.  

"Go, ye, into all the world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world."

O, dear loved ones, we must preach and teach and practice all that Jesus has commissioned us.  If we have not received all of the fullness of our blessed Christ, let us continue till we shall be filled with all the fullness of God.  Let us press forward to the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.  O dear loved ones, this means the baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire upon our souls.

It is heaven in our souls here.  O, let us get down before God and humble ourselves until we can hear Him speak.  He desires to speak with His people today as He did in the early morning of the church.  The Holy Ghost wants to speak to the people.

We praise God for the instruments He has raised up to bring to us light, but far above all, we admire the great Teacher of teachers that never makes a mistake, that loved us even to the throbs of death when He hung on Calvary from the sixth until the ninth hour and there was darkness over the face of the earth, proving to a lost and benighted world that He was the Son of God.

Infidels were compelled to confess that this was the Son of God, for they heard His words on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."  His great desire on the cross was for the salvation of souls.

Dear ones, have we got that burning passion for souls of the lost?  When we are persecuted and tried for the word of God, can we say in our hearts, Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do?  This is what it means to have the faith that was once delivered unto the saints, faith such as Stephen had when he was being stoned to death.  He could look up into heaven and see Jesus at the right hand of God.  It seems that he could not feel the stoning he was so wrapped up in Jesus.  There was a smile on his face like an angel when he fell asleep in Jesus.

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

The Way Into The Holiest

 Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is an article that was first published in 1906 in the Azusa Street Newsletter, written by William J. Seymour, published by the Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles, California.

A sinner comes to the Lord all wrapped up in sin and darkness.  He cannot make consecration because he is dead.  The life has to be put into us before we can present any life to the Lord.  He must get justified by faith.

There is a Lamb, without spot and blemish slain before God, for him, And when he repents toward God for his sins, the Lord has mercy on him for Christ's sake, and puts eternal life in his soul, pardoning him of his sins, washing away his guilty pollutions, and he stands before God justified as if he had never sinned.

Then there remains that old original sin in him, for which he is not responsible, till he has the light.  He hears that, "Jesus, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate,"  and he comes to be sanctified.

There is Jesus, the Lamb without blemish, on the altar.  Jesus takes that soul that has eternal life in it and presents it to God for thorough purging and cleansing from all original and Adamic sin. And Jesus, the Son of God, cleanses him from all sin, and he is made every whit whole, sanctified and holy.

Now he is on the altar ready for the fire of God to fall, which is the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  It is a free gift upon the sanctified, cleansed heart.  The fire remains there continually burning in the holiness of God. 

 Why?  Because he is sanctified and holy and on the altar continually.  He stays there and the great Shekina of glory is continually burning and filling with heavenly light.

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Holy Spirit Fire

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

How is the Holy Spirit like fire?

The Bible describes God as a "burning fire" (Hebrews 12:29), so it is not surprising that fire is often presented as a symbol of God's presence.  Examples include the burning bush (Exodus 3: 2), the pillars of the cloud (Exodus 14: 19), the clouds over the tabernacle of martyrdom (Numbers 9: 15-16) and the attitude of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1: 4).  Often fire is the instrument of God's judgment (Numbers 11: 1 and 3; 2 Kings 1: 10 and 12) and is a sign of His power (Judges 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38).

For these obvious reasons fire was very important for Old Testament sacrifices.  The fire on the altar of burnt offering was a divine gift that was primarily illuminated by God Himself (Leviticus 9:24).  God commanded the priests to keep the fire which God had kindled always burning (Leviticus 6:13) and made it clear to them that fire taken by any other means would be unacceptable (Leviticus 10: 1-2 verses).  

The altar can illustrate our commitment to the Lord Jesus in the New Testament.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are required to offer our bodies as "living and pure" (Romans 12: 1) sacrifices that are entirely dedicated to the divine gift, the unquenchable fire of the Holy Spirit.  ۔  At the very beginning of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was attached to the fire.  John the Baptist prophesies that Jesus Himself will "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).  When the Holy Spirit began His ministry in the early church, He chose to dwell on every believer in the form of tongues "bursting like a flame of fire."  And on this occasion "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit gave them power to speak" (Acts 2: 3-4).

Fire is an amazing picture of the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is like fire in at least three ways;  It brings God's presence, God's passion and God's holiness.  The Holy Spirit is an expression of God's presence because it resides in the heart of the believer (Romans 8: 9).  In the Old Testament, God revealed His presence to the Israelites through the appearance of the cloud at the tabernacle.  The presence of fire provided light and guidance (Numbers 9: 17-23).  In the New Testament, God guides and comforts His people through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in our bodies - in the "tabernacle" and in the "Holy of Holies" (2 Corinthians 5: 1; 6:16).

The Holy Spirit creates God's passion in our hearts.  Two disciples who traveled on the road to Emmaus after Jesus' resurrection talk to Jesus and later say,  Weren't you? "  (Luke 24:32).  After receiving the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the apostles developed a zeal that lasted a lifetime and gave them the strength to speak God's word with boldness (Acts 4:31).

The Holy Spirit creates God's holiness in our lives.  God's original purpose is to cleanse us (Titus 2:14) and in this regard the Holy Spirit serves to sanctify us (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:12).  In the same way our God uses the Holy Spirit to take away our sins (Psalm 10:10; Proverbs 17: 3).  His fire cleanses and purifies us.

I received this story from a friend, and the original author is unknown.  If you have and comments or any additional information, you can tell me in the comments section.  If you enjoyed this story you can click on the follow button to catch them all.

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary

Sanctification

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

This is an article that I found on the web. It was so good that I wanted to share it. The author does not reserve any rights.

Sanctified by the Word of God

Jesus tells us in John 17:16-19 that we have a practical progressive sanctification of our present life by the application of the truth of God’s Word.

The word “sanctify” in verse seventeen means “to consecrate, or to set apart persons or things to God” (Ex. 28:41; 29:1, 36; 40:13; 1 Thess. 5:23, etc).

The Holy Spirit uses the Word to do His work within the believer. Let’s distinguish between the sanctification by the Holy Spirit within us at the beginning of God’s work of salvation in our souls, and the everyday application of God’s Word in the Christian’s life. We are in the need of daily sanctification by the truth of God’s Word. This is a progressive work that will go on in our lives until we are presented perfect in Christ at His second coming.

Sanctification is not the eradication of our sinful nature, or of the “old man” in a once and for all experience.

However, God takes His Word, not human speculation or opinions, and sets us apart from the world to Himself. We are set apart for God’s special use. Therefore, our values, goals and behaviors are distinct from the worlds.

The Word of God sanctifies us as we study, meditate, memorize and apply its truths to our daily life. The Holy Spirit uses it to make us aware of sin, confess it and repent. He takes the Word and reveals God’s perfect will for our lives. We grow in His grace through the knowledge of His truth. As we yield in obedience to His truth we are sanctified by the truth.

Jesus prayed to His Father, “For this sake I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (John 17:19). Jesus was already set apart to God. Indeed, He was sinless. However, the night before His death on the cross He was dedicating Himself “that they too may be truly sanctified.” Literally, He said, “sanctified in truth.” Jesus’ death eternally separated believers to God and His kingdom, and God’s truth is the means of their daily sanctification.

“Sanctify them in truth; Your Word is truth” (v. 17). Just as Jesus was set apart for special use, so are the believers. “The truth” is communicated in the “Word.” As we hear the Word, we comprehend the truth and obey it. This changes our values, our lifestyle, and a behavioral change takes place. We are changed in our everyday practice.

As we daily appropriate God’s Word we are sanctified by it. We are set apart to God and changed in the way we live so that we bring honor and glory to the Father.

True daily sanctification in this life comes through the ministry of the Word of God. Jesus told His disciples, “Now are you clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3). God set us apart to Himself when He saved us. As we grow in Christ we experience more and more sanctification. We are progressively set apart to God as we grow in our faith, and love for God more than the desire of the world. This being set apart daily comes as the Holy Spirit applies God’s word to our everyday experiences. The Holy Spirit enables us to obey God’s Word. He is the author of the Word and He uses it to enlighten our minds, enable our will and encourage our hearts.

We were made clean through the Word at the new birth. As we obey the Word of God daily the defilement is washed out of our lives. When we sin we do not need to be saved all over again. We will never be regenerated a second or third time. After you bathe, you do not need to bathe again when you get your hands dirty. You wash them off and you are clean once more. God has given us a bar of soap. It is found in 1 John 1:9. Use it daily.

This is the practical and progressive sanctification that is seen in Ephesians 5:25-27 as Jesus sanctifies and cleanses His church. As the believer makes himself available to the Holy Spirit he is changed from the inside out. The Word of God has the liberty in the heart of the Spirit-controlled Christian to displace sin and replace in its place the righteousness of God. The blood of Christ cleanses the believer from actual sin.

Every born again Christian does pursue holiness until the second coming of Christ. At that time He will change these bodies of humiliation and make them like His glorious body. When that happens we shall have reached our goal and become absolutely, perfectly holy and sinless forever.

It is our responsibility to apply the word of God daily in the power of the Holy Spirit. It does not come automatically. For example, to abstain from sexual immorality requires the exercise of self-discipline enabled by the Holy Spirit.

God’s perfect will is that His people be holy (1 Thess. 3:13). “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). The context deals with sexual immorality; however, the truth can be applied to any area of our lives. “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification” (v. 7). Paul has in mind the progressive sanctification of his readers whereby they are conformed to the image of Christ in daily experiences.

God’s purpose is for the Christian to live separated lives in purity of mind and body. This is practical sanctification.

A holy life demonstrates God’s supernatural power at work in a believer’s life. A holy walk involves a right relationship with God.

Do you have an appetite for God’s pure Word? Let the Holy Spirit empower you to walk in holiness as you search the Scriptures and obey His Word.  

Selah!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006

A FREE GIFT FOR YOU
ABIDE MISSIONS

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary


  


      

River Of Living Water

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

This is a story recorded by William J Seymour, in his newsletter, published by the Azusa Street Mission, in November 1906.

In the 4th chapter of John, the words come, "Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that say it to thee Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him and He would have given the living water." Praise God for the living waters today that flow freely, For it comes from God to every hungry and thirsty heart. Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, That's the Scripture hath said, Out of his inmost being shall flow rivers of living waters." Then we are able to go in the mighty name of Jesus to the ends of the earth and water dry places, deserts in solitary places, until these parched, sad, lonely hearts are made to rejoice in the God of their salvation. We want the rivers today. Hallelujah! Glory to God in the highest!

In Jesus Christ we get forgiveness of sin, And we get sanctification of our spirit, soul, and body, And upon that we get the gift of the Holy Ghost that Jesus promised to his disciples, The promise of the Father. All this we get through the atonement. Hallelujah!

The prophet said that he had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, we're chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed. So we get healing, health, salvation, joy, life- Everything in Jesus. Glory to God!

There are many wells today, but they are dry. There are many hungry souls today that are empty. But let us come to Jesus and take Him at His word and we will find wells of salvation, and be able to draw waters out of the well of salvation, For Jesus is that well.

At this time Jesus was weary from a long journey, and He said on the well in Samaria, and a woman came to draw water. He asked her for a drink. She answered, "how is it that thou being a Jew askest drink of me who am a woman of Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans?" Jesus said, "if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given the living water."

O, how sweet it is to see Jesus, The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, My great sacrifice that God had given to a lost, dying, and benighted world, sitting on the well and talking with the woman; so gentle, so meek, and so kind that it gave her an appetite to talk further with Him, until He got into her secret and uncovered her life. Then she was pricked in her heart, confess your sins and received pardon, cleansing from fornication and adultery, was washed from stain and guilt of sin and was made a child of God, and above all, received the well of salvation in her heart. It was so sweet and joyful and good.

Her heart was so filled with love that she felt she could take in a whole lost world. So she ran away with a well on salvation and left the old water pot on the well. How true it is in this day, when we get the baptism with the Holy Spirit, we have something to tell, and it is that the blood of Jesus Christ cleans it from all sin. The baptism with the Holy Ghost gives us power to testify to a risen, resurrected Savior. Are affections are in Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. How I worship Him today! How I praise him for the all cleansing blood!

Jesus' promises are true and sure. The woman said to Him, after He had uncovered her secret, "Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet." Yes, He was a prophet. He was that great profit that Moses said the Lord would raise up. He is here today. Will we be taught of that prophet? Will we hear Him? Let us accept Him in all his fullness.

He said, "He that believeth on me, The works that I do shall he do also, And greater works that these shall ye do, because I go unto my Father." These disciples to whom He was speaking, had been saved, sanctified, anointed with the Holy Spirit, Their hearts had been open to understand the Scriptures, And yet Jesus said, "Tarry ye, In the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high." "John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." So the same commission comes to us. We find that they are obeyed his commission and were all filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, And Peter standing up, said, "this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel."

Dear loved ones, we preach the same sermon. "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, And your old man shall dream dreams; And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, And they shall prophesy. The promise is unto you, And to your children, and to all that are afar off, Even as many as the Lord our God shall call." That means until now and to last until Jesus comes.

There are so many people today like the woman. They are controlled by the fathers. Our salvation is not in some father or human instrument. It is sad to see people so blinded, worshiping the creature more than the Creator. Listen to what the woman said, "our fathers worshiped in this mountain, And you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men out to worship." So many people today are worshiping in the mountains, big churches, stone and frame buildings. But Jesus teaches that salvation is not in these stone structures- not in the mountains- not in the hills, but in God. For God is a Spirit. 

Jesus said unto her, "Woman, Believe Me, The hour cometh and is now is, when he shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father." So many people today are controlled by men. There's salvation reaches out no further than the boundary line of human creeds, but praise God for freedom in the Spirit. There are depths and heights and breadths that we can reach through the power of the blessed Spirit. "Eye have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him.

The Jews were the religious leaders at the time, And people had no more light upon salvation than the Jews gave them. The Jews were God's chosen people to evangelize the world. He had entrusted them to give all nations the true knowledge of God, but they went into traditions and doctrines of men, And we're blinded and in the dark. Jesus came as the light of the world, And He is that Light. "If we walk in the Light as he is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." Let us honor the Spirit, for Jesus has sent Him to teach in to lead us into all truth.

Above all, let us honor the blood of Jesus Christ every moment of our lives, And we will be sweet in our souls. We will be able to talk of this common salvation to everyone that we meet. God will let his anointing rest upon us and telling them of this precious truth. This truth belongs to God. We have no right to tax anyone for the truth, because God has entrusted us with it to tell it. Freely we receive, freely we give. So the gospel is to be preached freely, And God will bless it and spread it Himself, And we have experienced that He does, we have found Him true to His promise all the way. We have tried Him and proved Him. His promises are sure.

Signed, William J. Seymour.

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

 Roop-Crappell Ministries 

 Hospice Volunteer Stories 

 The Trucking Tango 

 Apostolic Theological Seminary 

One Church

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

This story was originally published in the Azusa Street Mission newsletter, In 1906, by William J. Seymour.

At a recent church trial, hey brother made the remark that he little thought when he was seeking more of God it would mean for him to be turned out of the Holiness church. This brings to mind the old lady who was turned out of the church, And as she walked down the hill, she said: "Yonder is the meeting house, here goes the church."

They may turn you out of the church houses and organizations of men, but not out of the one church. Thank God, that church book is kept in heaven. Jesus said: "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

One of the Holiness leaders said that the church had always taught sanctification as the baptism with the Holy Ghost, And they could not afford to give it up.  Besides he would have to burn his books and sermons.  Brother, on that great day of judgment, how much will those books and sermons weigh as compared to God's word?

At first the Holiness leaders approved of the work at the mission, but after camp meeting, They decided against the Pentecostal baptism as distinct from sanctification, And also the speaking in tongues.  These were rule out and not to be mentioned on the camp ground.  What might not that meeting have been, if they had left the Holy Ghost have right away? Eternity alone will reveal the great loss to souls through leaders who would not let the hungry sheep enter into this blessed life of power and the Holy Ghost.

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

 Roop-Crappell Ministries 

 Hospice Volunteer Stories 

 The Trucking Tango 

 Apostolic Theological Seminary 

The Spirit Follows The Blood

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

This is a story written by William J. Seymour in his book called,  "The Azusa Street Papers," written in 1906.

Jesus said, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.". The cleansing took place before the Pentecostal baptism.  Jesus said on that night before he was betrayed, "Now are you clean, but not all.". (He knew that Judas had the devil in him).  But the cycles have been sanctified before Pentecost, For the word of God is true. We know they have been justified a long time before, where he said, "Rejoice not that the devils are subject unto you but rejoice because your names are written in heaven." And we know they were sanctified when Jesus prayed for them, For Jesus' prayers did not have to be answered in the future but were answered right there. He said, "They are not of the world, Even as I am not of the world." They were not only sanctified but had received the Holy Spirit in a certain measure, because he breathed on them in the upper room and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." Some have put it off that they were not sanctified until Pentecost.  But we know the spirit only follows the blood.  The heart must be clean before the Holy Ghost can endure with power from on high.  It is not the work of the Holy Ghost to burn up inheritance sin and carnality he is not our Savior.  It is the blood that cleanses us from all sin.  The disciples were cleansed and sanctified and they were sitting and waiting when the Holy Ghost fell upon them.

We know also that Cornelius was clean, For when the Lord let down the sheep before Peter, he said, "what God have cleansed, that call not now common," or unclean.  The Holy Ghost spill on them as at the beginning and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

William James Roop, MABS

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Two Works Of Grace And The Holy Ghost

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

This is the Plan of Salvation as told by William J. Seymour in his book, "The Azusa Street Papers," in 1906.

1st. Justification deals with our actual sins.  When we go to Him and repent, God washes all the guilt and pollution out of our hearts, And we stand justified like a new babe that never committed sin.  We have no condemnation.  We can walk with Jesus and live a holy life before the Lord, if we walk in the Spirit.

2nd.  Sanctification is the second and last work of grace.  After we are justified, we have two battles to fight.  There is sin inside and sin outside.  There is warfare within, caused by the old inherited sin.  When God brings the word, "it is the will of God, Even your sanctification," we should accept the word, And then the blood comes and takes away all inherited sin.  Everything is heavenly in your soul; you are a son of God.  The Spirit of God witnesses in your heart that you are sanctified.

3rd.  The Spirit begins then and there leading us on to the baptism with the Holy Ghost.  Now, as a son of God, you should enter into the earnest of your inheritance.  After you have a clear witness of the two works of grace and your heart, you can receive this gift of God, which is a free gift without repentance.  Pray for the power of the Holy Ghost, And God will give you a new language.  It is the privilege of everyone to be filled with the Holy Ghost.  It is for every believing child.

William James Roop, MABS

 My website 

 My hospice blog 

 Apostolic Theological Seminary