Rubel Shelly - Faith Matters - Max Lucado

My friend, Max Lucado, compares the role of the Spirit in our lives to a guy who wants to learn to dance. The music starts, and the next thing the guy knows he's dancing without the book! This sermon seems to round up the thoughts of Max Lucado, Jeff Walling in Daring to Dance with God and Edward Fudge reminding us that we missed the last half of Acts 2:38. As so many sermons are these days, the goal of the sermon must not allow the facts to get in the way. Our review is in blue.

Faithsite.com Reviews of BANNED RESPONSES TO FALSE TEACHING.

Geni, Adepts, Demons Rubel shelly will be teaching The Shaping of Things to Come to train new ministers at Rochester College. The book seems more occult than Christian.

You can read the book and see the PATTERNISM for the EMERGING PREACHERS.

CLICK: The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church

Rubel Shelly Max Lucado

Change Agents planned to use CODE WORDS to fool the fools who pay them. Rubel Shelly quotes Max Lucado about the Holy Spirit as song writer and dance master (a blasphemy). God MARKS them and they point directly to the end-time worship of Apollo, Abaddon or Apollyon. They USE the muses or locusts to sting and separate those with the MARK OF MUSICAL WORSHIP from those with the MARK OF THE WORD. Singers and musicians were prostitutes, parasites, sorcerers and they are HERE.

Click For an Index of Rubel Shelly Sermon Reviews.
Great Themes of the Bible (#17-Praise and Thanksgiving)

Notes added 8/5/2000

Great Themes of the Bible (#6-Spirit's Indwelling)

First, you must understand that a Direct Guidance is claimed after denying that the Bible is authority for modern faith and practice. This allows the use of Narrative Theology to allow each preacher to compose his own "scripture."

In chapter seven, sin is personified with a will: it attacked, deceived and slew Paul:

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Rom. 7:11

This does not mean that "sin" is a person with a will.

In the same way, in Christ, the mind is personified:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom 8:14KJV

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Rom 8:15
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Rom 8:16

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Rom 8:17

If the Spirit of Christ means The Holy Ghost as a personal, living-in, third member of the Godhead we must allow Him the intelligence to have said: "The Holy Spirit person" rather than "the Spirit of God." Or, The Holy Spirit Person rather than "the Spirit of Bondage." Or, the "Spirit of Adoption."

How can a person be the spirit of adoption. The spirit of fear is not an indwelling demon.

The "spirit of fear" is not a person named "fear." Rather, spirit means that we have the mental disposition of fear or bondage. And if that spirit bears witness with our own mind that a grizzly bear is chasing us, the two witnesses make us run for our life.

We have been literally "filled" with the spirit of fear. Once we get into the car, the spirit of safety bears witness with our mind that we are safe and the hair on the back of our heads calms down.

In Corinth I might believe that I have the spirit of prophecy. However, if my mind doesn't bear witness with my emotions overcome with charismatic music, then I had better wait until the "drug high" of religious excitement wears off. And, sure enough, that great idea or poem we received in the "spirit" during our dream forces us to get out of bed and write it down. However, "when the mind kicks in" in the morning we feel a bit silly.

Remember all of that good music composed under the spirit of marijuana? Well, when the mind kicked in twenty years later it didn't sound so wise. According to Grace Slick discussing her "creativity"

"Using LSD you go from A to Z but forget that in between there is B to Y"

Jesus said that His Words are Spirit and Life. Therefore, any "spirit" which we get in our own mind should bear witness with the Spirit which Christ has delivered to us as a "ruler" or standard for truth - canon. This was important to Paul because the church was overflowing with theatrical performers from the Greek world wanting to "get on the dole" by selling their songs and sermons as "what God wants you to know." He identified them as "trained speakers" and "super apostles."

The way to cull them out was: "Do they have the spirit OF Christ? Do they abandon all and go out into the world and suffer as Christ suffered." If not, then they do not have the Spirit of Christ but the Spirit of lust and money.

Turning away from legalistic body rituals and turning toward Christ will move you out of Romans Chapter seven and into chapter eight where Paul advanced beyond lack of assurance:

THERE is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,

Who are IN Christ Jesus or "in connection with" Jesus?
........... Those: who walk not after the flesh (not a person),
........... but after the Spirit (not a person). Rom 8:1

Jesus told Paul "words" about how to be free:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:2

And Jesus said:

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

Notice that the Holy Spirit as the "driver" does the lead walking (NEVER dancing), but Paul advises that "you" walk after the spirit and not the flesh. And if you try to dance face-to-face with the Spirit God of the universe I would wear a huge shield against sizzled.

In this passage walking after the Spirit and being in Christ Jesus mean the same thing.

1. If we are literally inside of the literal Christ;
2. and the literal Holy Spirit is inside of my literal body
3. then my body of flesh stands between the literal Christ and His literal Spirit.
4. See what you get into when you make idols or images out of spiritual principles?

For what the law could not do [law personified], in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Romans 8:3

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:4

Now, the literalist has the literal Holy Spirit person walking along and we are walking after Him while our bodies walk after the spirit of flesh!! Then if we walk in the spirit and the Spirit is inside of us literally then we have a real puzzle. But that is the flesh speaking.

We don't "let our bodies do the walking" but we conform our "mental disposition" to the spirit or mental disposition of Christ. We then follow His commandments in order to walk in Him, beside Him, with Him and He in Us.

To refute those who object to Dr. Shelly's view that Paul is speaking about the carnal nature in competition with the Holy Spirit inside of the literal flesh we quote Dr. Shelly:

In the Following Sermon Dr. Shelly notes that:

Any RELIGIONISM RITUAL which you can see, smell, feel or hear is focused on the SARX. Jesus said that God only seeks those who can worship in the new PLACE of the human spirit. Paul made this so clear that it CANNOT be misunderstood by anyone having the Spirit of Christ:

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Ph.3:3

Why is it absolutely important that you NOT let anyone PERFORM or MEDIATE the Spirit or Word of God:

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Ph 3:2

Dogs were the catamites or homosexual "ministers" of the gods who believed that music-induced homosexuality bound the BODY and SPIRIT together.

If Paul's carnal nature was still alive then Paul was not converted. However, we can allow Paul's human body to still be a problem to him. While Sarx can stand for the sinful nature, the word literally means the literal, human body:

Sarc (g4561) sarx; prob. from the base of 4563; flesh (as stripped of the skin), i.e. (strictly) the meat of an animal (as food), or (by extens.) the body (as opposed to the soul [or spirit], or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred), or (by impl.) human nature (with its frailties [phys. or mor.] and passions), or (spec.) a human being (as such): - carnal (-ly, / -ly minded), flesh ([- ly]).

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; Romans 1:3

Now, Jesus was not of the seed of David according to "his sinful nature."

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: Romans 2:28

Paul would never speak of the frailty of our carnal nature:

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;

even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. Romans 6:19

Paul also uses flesh for the external rituals of the Law:

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. Ro.7:5

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Ro.7:18

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
........... So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God;
........... but with the flesh the law of sin. Ro.7:25

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
........... who walk not after the flesh,
........... but (walk) after the Spirit. Romans 8:4

Do you grasp it? The spirit is not a member of the "god family" but our mind is to our flesh as our spirit is to our flesh. Therefore, the spirit in Romans 7 and 8 is our own spirit in conflict with our own flesh.

We believe that Paul speaks of his own, human body of flesh whose senses always needed to be stroked (yea, even by music fondling every nerve ending in the human body) and not his rotten nature. This means that the conflict is between his body and his spirit -- not the Holy Spirit because the contest would not be close.

Before looking at the next pretty powerful statement, you may want to look at some of Blackaby and King's claim of supernatural powers even more than Moses, Jesus and the Apostles when we get our "assignment" for our time just like Jesus got His for His time. In fact, along with the direct indwelling of the literal Holy Spirit "person" in the literal human body goes the retirement of Jesus to the "chair" or throne because this is NOT His dispensation!

Blackaby claims the Apostolic Powers for today.

In another article Blackaby claims:

If you remember, the promise was to the Apostles and it was to "bring to their remembrance" what Jesus had spoken to them in person. Now, if Jesus has not spoken personally to me then He will not bring what He has not spoken to my remembrance! Is that simple or what?

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; John 14:16

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:17

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18

When the Lord as Spirit spoke to Paul He identified Himself as: "I am Jesus of Nazareth." In the earthly relationship God imaged Himself as Father, Son and Spirit. The process of identifying A SON OF GOD is that the Son hears and speaks only what He hears from the Father. As humans, we speak what our Mind speaks to us.

Therefore, the Father sends the Son as pure or holy Spirit. This is not a name: holy just means pure and Jesus manifests Himself now as Spirit but not a different Spirit.

When people begin to hear voices in their literal ear or through hunches or by having the "community" agree with and affirm "the" pastor will never fail to tell you that whay you hear in the Scriptures has been superceded by the new book peddler fellow.

Now watch closely: this is how you use the Bible as authority (not).

You read that God spoke directly to Moses and caused supernatural things to happen.
Therefore, if God is the same now as then he speaks to me also.

Isn't that wonderful. But God tells us that there was a large gap: the Israelites would have to await a "prophet like Moses" to hear anything but condemnation for ignoring the written Covenant superceded by the Law.

If Jesus was the "prophet like Moses" then that means that WE are not prophets like Moses.

I don't want a new law or power to kill the Egyptans or kill a giant or have a baby or get a kinsman-redeemer or husband. I don't want to betray Jesus like Peter or any of those things. I acknowledge that God did it but I would betray Him if I refused to believe that He can deliver the truth once for all to supply everything I need for life and Godliness. Now, if I want to usurp Christ and become dominant pastor or hire a musical worship minister or build a mega-mega facility as a "bigger barn" then I might need some new revelation if only to thumb my nose in the old decadent and deliterious preachers not sucking in so many seekers.

If you are looking for a little man inside of your wretched body to give you permission that Jesus didn't give you, you should understand that the "another Comforter" would not be named "Holy Spirit" but Jesus Christ:

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18

That "Spirit" presence will not tell you anything the Human Jesus did not permit.

Henry Blackaby teaches that believers should be able to hear the voice of God speaking to them like Moses, Abraham and Noah did. This certainly implies a continuing miraculous, inspired revelation from God to man, which actually ceased at the end of the first Century when the New Testament was completed. Even in the time of Moses, God did not speak to anyone else like He did to Moses (see Numbers 12:6-8.) God punished Miriam with leprosy for the offense of claiming to hear God's voice like Moses did, Numbers 12:2, 10 Rubel Shelly says: The Holy Guest will supply everything you need. In your weakness, you will feel his strength. Not only through the exhortation of the Word of God but in your daily routine, you will hear from and experience the Lord Jesus Christ.   Blackaby, going by experience rather than by the Word of God, exhorts today's Christians, saying "If you have trouble hearing God speak (like this), you are in trouble at the very heart of your Christian experience." (p.36) If you accept this teaching and feel properly guilty and unspiritual about your inability to hear God's voice just like Moses did, then you are ready to go on to the solutions that Blackaby proposes. If you are not hearing those audible voices from God, all you have to do is obey your leaders without question! Blackaby asks: "Does God really speak to His people in our day? Will He reveal to you where He is working when He wants to use you? ........... Yes! God has not changed. He still speaks to His people. ........... ........... If you have trouble hearing God speak, ........... ........... you are in trouble at the very heart of your Christian experience."

Strange: almost universally people who hear literal voices which they believe to be God are normally the ones considered to be in trouble!

Sure, even unbelievers have been given spirit from God or they would not be alive. That is why fornication is unlawful even for those who do not believe: the same God who made the outside also made the inside.

Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. Luke 11:39

You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? Luke 11:40

However, because the Holy Spirit is the Mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2) one who has God's spirit inside of their fleshly body does not have "a holy spirit" unless both the inside and outside are clean. This Holy Spirit lives in the heart or mind which has no physical definition. Therefore, Paul said:

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Romans 7:18

So, Paul is not speaking of a literal "person" called the Holy Spirit living inside of the fleshly part of the body.

The "one" who is in the world and his agents can be identified specificially by claiming the supernatural power of a Moses or a Jesus:

BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Pseudoprophetes (g5578) psyoo-dop- rof-ay'-tace; from 5571 and 4396; a spurious prophet, i.e. pretended foreteller or religious impostor: - false prophet.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Mt.7:15

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Mt.24:11

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Mt.24:24

So, rest assured that the "many" and the popular and those who want you to be as much like the people in the world so that you can win them are automatically suspect.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 1 John 4:2

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4:3

Not too many denied that Jesus came in the flesh. What they denied was that He was the Messiah and therefore powerful enough to establish His kingdom in the world. To preach a "now but not yet kingdom" denies the explicit teachings of Christ the Spirit:

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

The Living Bible reads:

Dear young friends, you belong to God and have already won your fight with those who are against Christ because there is someone in your hearts who is stronger than any evil teacher in this wicked world. 1 John 4:4LIV

That is why Jesus says "don't call any man your teacher."

Now, John gives us a test:

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world (Kosmos), and the world heareth them. 1 John 4:5

You can test this each Sunday: do they speak about God and His Word without failure or do they do human philosophy or appeal to the founders of the Wineskin Religion of mind control or those claiming that you can be a Christ?

You will never find the ever-abiding-in-the-heart Christ by following the crowds to the mass assemblies attracting the crowds by Rock, Rap, theatrical performance or any thing which appeals to the human senses. Just forget it.

The "core" gospel is that it is seven facts about Jesus and all of the rest is just the opinions of apostles engaged in competition.

John is being heard only enough to get a proof text of an indwelling Spirit which continues to guide you into all truth. John clearly says that if you don't hear the inspired Word then the spirit in you is not the holy Spirit Christ but the spirit of the world:

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us;

he that is not of God heareth not us.

Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:6

Blackaby allows the Word of God to be our guide just like Dr. Shelly but this just means that the Bible informs you that you are another Moses, another Christ or another Apostle:

"The pattern I see in Scripture is that God always gives us direction on the front end.

He may not tell you all you want to know at the beginning but He will tell you what you need to know to make necessary adjustments and to take the first step of obedience.

Your task is to wait until the Master gives you instructions.

If you start 'doing' before you have a direction from God, more than likely you will be wrong.

"Specific Directions

"A popular teaching says God does not give you clear directions. It says He just sets your life in motion.

Then you try to figure out the directions using your God-given mind.

This implies that a Christian always thinks correctly and according to God's will.

This does not take into account that the old nature is constantly battling with the spiritual nature (Rom 7) Our ways are not God's ways [Isaiah. 55:8]. Only God can give you the kind of specific directions to accomplish His purposes in His ways.

Here is how they use the Bible: the Bible says that Moses and Jesus received specific instructions from God. Now, rather than trusting those specific instructions, "Bible authority" means that you, too, can experience what Moses and Jesus experienced.

I know, picky, picky, picky. But this is why there is so much discord sown in the world. Is the "Spirit" a literal person who lives in the literal body "in which nothing good dwells?" Didn't Paul say "present your body as a living sacrifice?" This means: "Consider your fleshly body on the altar and totally consumed or burned up." Not literally: we have to "reckon" our body dead so that we can serve God in the spirit or mind.

Add to that, literally hearing God speak to you. Figurative? No. In explicit words in literal ears. Perhaps, we really mean that because Jesus put Spirit and Life into His Word (I dare you to say that He could not, would not and did not) then we remember these words because we have read them somewhere? The Corinthians believed that their self-composed songs and sermons were inspired. However, Paul said that the words came out of their own spirit and they were just speaking into the air:

What came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 1 Corinthians 14:36

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 14:37

But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. 1 Corinthians 14:38

Remember what John said:

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us;

he that is not of God heareth not us.

Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:6

Paul one of the "we" apostles does not allow the "you" to receive direct revelations. If they lacked anything Paul did not say, "Get your direct assignment like Moses." No. He said, "I will write you."

It is truly meeting this definition if we define a little "core gospel" and relegate the rest of the writings to the interpretation of confused apostles which resulted in divisive churches.

Paul then began to regulate those who thought that they were a prophet or a tongue speaker which would shame them into silence. If the Holy Spirit was speaking to just ONE person in Corinth Paul's job would not have been so tough. When we begin hearing voices in our ears we will almost assuredly mishandle that which has been revealed by the Spirit of Christ through the Apostles.

Blackaby continues: "After God spoke to Noah about building an ark, Noah knew the size, the type of materials, and how to put it together. When God spoke to Moses about building the tabernacle He was very specific about the details. When God became flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ, He gave specific directions to His disciples -- where to go, what to do, how to respond.

"What about when God called Abraham (Abram) and said, "Go to the land I will show you" (Gen 12:1)? That was not very specific. That required faith. But God did say, "I will show you."

God always will give you enough specific directions to do now what He wants you to do.

When you need more directions, He gives you more in His timing. In Abraham's case, God later told him about the son to be born to him, the number of his descendants, the territory they would inhabit, that they would go into bondage and be brought out.

The Holy Spirit gives clear directives today. God is personal. He wants to be intimately involved in your life. He will give you clear guidance for living." Experiencing God, p. 75

"This God is never called a person. The word person was never applied to God in the Middle ages. The reason for this is that the three members of the Godhead were called personae (faces or countenances):

"The Father is persona, the Son is persona, and the Spirit is persona.

"Persona here means a special characteristic of the divine ground, expressing itself in an independent hypostasis. 

"Thus, we can say that it was the nineteenth century which made God into a person,

"with the result that the greatness of the classical idea of God was destroyed by this way of speaking...

"but to speak of God as a person would have been heretical for the Middle Ages; it would have been to them a Unitarian heresy, because it would have conflicted with the statement that God has three personae, three expressions of his being. (Tillich, Paul, A History of Christian Thought, p. 190)

Lares or Ghosts

Lar: plural LARES, in Roman religion, any of numerous tutelary deities. They were originally gods of the cultivated fields, worshipped by each household at the crossroads where its allotment joined those of others. Later the Lares were worshipped in the houses in association with the Penates, the gods of the storeroom (penus) and thus of the family's prosperity; the household Lar (Familiaris) was conceived as the centre of the family and of the family cult.

We have inset the double flute player and sistrum:

Originally each household had only one Lar. It was usually represented as a youthful figure, dressed in a short tunic, holding in one hand a drinking horn, in the other a cup. Under the empire, two of these images were commonly to be found, one on each side of the central figure of the genius, of Vesta, or of some other deity. The whole group came to be called indifferently Lares or Penates. A prayer was said to the Lar every morning, and special offerings were made at family festivals.

"Gods are called by many names and "at another time, again, he maintains that they are gods of the air, and are termed heros; at another, following the opinion of the ancients, he says that the Lares are ghosts, as it were a kind of tutelary demon, spirits of dead men." (Arnobius Against the Heathen, Ante-Nicene, VI, p. 475).

No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 1 Cor 10:20-21

Paul directly points us to the musical idolatry at Mount Sinai. The Israelites worshiped the demons or "beasts" of Egypt and the nation was lost.

Maybe Dr. Rubel Shelly has it correct, but Gallup says that at least 80% of preacher illustrations are untrue: My Websters says that Ghost is "Akin to the Greek Gheest meaning to be excited, frightened or angry." It is true that a ghost or demon was considered to be the "spirit of a dead person" but they were not often welcomed as GUESTS. In fact, the musical worship team Jesus "ejected more or less violently" was trying to appease the ghost of the dead girl so she would not harm them.

The Britannica notes that: "In many societies funeral rituals are believed to prevent the ghost from haunting the living." A place that is haunted is thought to be associated by the haunting spirit with some strong emotion of the past--remorse, fear, or the terror of a violent death. Individuals who are haunted are believed to be responsible for, or associated with, the ghost's unhappy past experience."

This is why Jesus put the musical worship team out "more or less violently" in the house of the "dead gir." They were engaged in rites for the dead as music in the book of Revelation is FOR THE DEAD. The girl was not dead in that sense.

If we hear literal words in our literal ears we may still be trying to be on the crossstill carrying around Jesus whose "now but not yet kingdom" couldn't finish fermenting.

It is noted that the Marzeah celebrated by the Israelites and condemned by Amos for their musical rituals was "a feast with and for dead ancestors." And many of the Classical allusions to music in the world of the dead are identical to those in the book of Revelation which warns that only when you are dead with no earthly good to anyone is music allowable.

The word for "ghost" might be a guest but unwelcomed. One suspects that a lot of religion comes out of folklore where Spirit or Mind has its second incarnation as a real "person" who speaks ringing sounds into your literal ears. For instance:

A magician raising a ghost, illustration by W. Raphael from The Astrologer of the Nineteenth Century, 1825

The priests or preachers of the Ghost religions were the Astrologers or Soothsayers, etc. "Poltergeist (from German Polter, "noise" or "racket"; Geist, "spirit"), in occultism, a disembodied spirit or supernatural force credited with certain malicious or disturbing phenomena, such as inexplicable noises, sudden wild movements, or breakage of household items. Poltergeists are also blamed for violent actions--throwing stones or setting fire to clothing and furniture. Such events are said to be sporadic, unpredictable, and often repetitive. "According to popular belief, a poltergeist's activity appears to concentrate on a particular member of a family, often an adolescent, its object being harassment or, rarely, physical harm. When strangers are present, the unusual phenomena often cease. A large portion of those reported to be victimized suffer from hysteria. In many instances, the activities attributed to poltergeists have been explained as natural phenomena--e.g., the normal creaking of boards in an old house." One of the most ancient ghost views of religion literally believed that the musicians, singers and dancers and even speakers could "lead you into the presence of the gods." The "prophets" -- called "the world's oldest profession" -- was specificially chosen for his abnormality and "prophesying" was singing his inspired message from the "familiar spirit" which might be an old wineskin with the witch of Endor.

Watch out for him in the pulpit

"kobold in German folklore, mischievous household spirit (geist) who usually helps with chores and gives other valuable services but who often hides household and farm tools or kicks over stooping persons.

Woe unto you, doctors of the law for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. Luke 11:52

He is temperamental and becomes outraged when he is not properly fed.

He sometimes sings to children. (Britannica Members)

The Indian Ghost dance, in fact, was an effort -- just like Jubilee -- to destroy the present culture and restore the ancient one. The Britannica notes that the Ghost Dance probably imitated the charismatic "revivals" of Christianity:

"Ghost Dance either of two distinct cults in a complex of late 19th-century religious movements that represented an attempt of Indians in the western United States to rehabilitate their traditional cultures.

Both cults arose from Northern Paiute prophet-dreamers in western Nevada
who announced the imminent return of the dead (hence "ghost"),
the ousting of the whites, and the restoration of Indian lands, food supplies, and way of life.

These ends, it was believed, would be hastened by the dances and songs revealed to the prophets

in their vision visits to the spirit world and also by strict observance of a moral code that resembled Christian teaching and forbade war against Indians or whites. Many dancers fell into trances and received new songs from the dead they met in visions or were healed by Ghost Dance rituals.

The very notion of the "Jubilee" is to oust those who have possession of your land even if you sold it to them.

We have found no church "Father" who identifies the Holy Spirit as a third person or member of the "God family." God as the Bible makes clear is ONE God and in history the Speaker, Word and Spirit or breath are never, never separated into "persons." The word is personae or three manifestations but never literal persons as in "a people."

On the contrary, Paul Tillich says that before the liberal 19th century anyone who identified the Holy Spirit as a separate "person" (member of the family) would have been guilty of heresy.

Karen Armstrong, in A History of God echos the view. The very common historical view of the trinity never saw the "persons" separated into a polytheistic god. Rather, the almost universal view was of One God as Speaker, speaking Words by blowing breath or spirit through his lips or "double-edged" swords. The Speaker was the "father" of the word which was "son." Breath was always spirit. One church Father noted that the One God always had his Word and Wisdom with Him

"This God is never called a person. The word person was never applied to God in the Middle ages.

"There is much gnostic Marcionism in them, that is, a dualistic blasphemy of the Creator God. They put the Savior God in such opposition to the Creator God that, although they never fall into any real heresy, they implicitly blaspheme the divine creation by identifying it with the sinful state of reality.

Against this tendency Irenaeus said that God is one; there is no duality in him. Law and gospel, creation and salvation, are derived from the same God." (Tillich, Paul, A History of Christian Thought, p. 42)

As far as I know the spirit of man dwells in his body. However, the body is dead or carnal and the Spirit of God lives in our spirit.

Now, if Paul was speaking of a third "God" he would have just said "the Holy Person" lives in you. And if the Spirit is the third member of the "god family" then doesn't the expression "The third person of the first person" or "the third person of the second person" seem strange? Sure, and that is why Paul is discussing the spirit as "mental disposition" of God which is the same as the "mental disposition" of Christ. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 2, Paul identified the Mind of Christ as the Holy Ghost. And Jesus said that His Life and Spirit was in His Word (John 6:63)

The Holy Spirit is God and not a 1/3 piece of a pecan pie god. Holy or pure is an adjective and defines the quality of God as Spirit. The Spirit of God or the Spirit of Christ (No Holy Spirit as third person in Romans 8) is the mental disposition of God or of Christ. The combination of Romans 7 and 8 shows the conflict between our body and our spirit as it is guided by the Spirit of Christ. Romans Eight is made complicated by the "improvement" of inspiration by insinuating the Holy Spirit Person. We have looked at this in detail which you may read by Clicking Here.

How do we know that God's Spirit indwells out spirit? It is because our spirits cause our bodies to change its direction.

How do we know that God's Spirit lives in our spirit? Because the Bible Tells Me So! The subject is how WE KNOW. And We know because God has sent Paul to tell us so.

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared (spoken out loud) him . John 1:18

The only way that we know that we live in him and he in us (a literal paradox) is because he has give us Spirit when He spoke to us. John says that we know because we know by God-given words spoken out loud or preached and not received by an internal radio in the brain. When you start hearing things it may be "static" so that you cannot hear the Word of God which is on the "tape recorder" of the Bible.

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

To insist upon being a Second Incarnation is, like the popular theory of Blackaby and King, to get our assignment just like Jesus got His. However, the Son -- by one definition -- defends and enlarges his father's name. Lord Jesus Christ has done the "declaring" through personal teaching and the inspiration of the Apostle-Prophets. God does not speak to us in audible voices. Blackaby makes certain predestinated people identical to a Moses or a Christ or an apostle who were the unique handlers of the keys of the kingdom.

The Keys to Knowledge had been stolen by the Jewish Clergy. Christ then took them away and put them into the hands of Peter who "opened the door" on the day of Pentecost. This was the church or kingdom and YOU don't need a special assignment from God to open them again. To us, the concept is "the word" or seed. We can plant and water but we cannot open the doors of an already wide-open kingdom.

If this truly happens to you then Jesus also gave you the test as an evangelist:

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Acts 20:21

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Acts 20:22

Now, the "bosom" of the Father is "in the folds of the garments." The Word Who was with God because He was God "took off" the garments of full Deity and put on the "garment" of a human body. He "laid aside" that glory but when He returned as Right Hand or Right Arm He was restored to the bosom or folds of the garment. Jesus spoke in parables to fool the fools (Matthew 13)

A gift of the Holy Spirit is the Mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2). For this reason, John says that He has given us of his Spirit. Now, you cannot break the "person" Spirit into bits and pieces but you can distribute His Mind. And if we have the Mind of Christ living in us in a fruitful way then we have a Holy Spirit.

If this indwelling is a literal or physical thing we have a problem. It would be like saying, "I am inside of the house and the house is inside of me." That is not the picture of dwelling or Tabernacling among men. And that is where trying to worship a pure Spirit God with external rituals (the burden Jesus came to remove) and carnal illustrations gets us into trouble. Dwell is from the Greek:

Meno (g3306) men'-o; a prim. verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), * thine own.

Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. Mt.26:38

Because God is Love or the personification of love, when we love someone it is like God dweling in them. But we are not a Second Incarnation just like Jesus.

In the Core Gospel Rubel Shelly lists: that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Baptism is not part of his core.

The Holy Spirit might have had Peter say:

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receiving the Holy Spirit into your body. Acts 2:38

But some of us in our heritage hear Peter say:

And Peter replied, "Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;

then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38LIV

Walter Scott define a holy spirit as "man's spirit made holy by God." God who is pure or Holy Spirit gives us the gift of a holy spirit as we follow him.

And again, Peter replied and said:

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the request for a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 3:21

Paul in 2 Cor. 3 told the Jews that they had blinders on their eyes and their ears were plugged from their musical idolatry at Mount Sinai. Only when they turned to the Lord would the blinders or hinderences be removed.

A clear conscience means that all of the obstacles have been removed so that we can hear Christ in the Word but it is not a literal indwelling of one third of the God family. A clear conscience is YOUR OWN SPIRIT made alive after the body is dead to it's self:

Suneidesis (g4893) soon-i'-day-sis; from a prol. form of 4894; co- perception, i.e. moral consciousness; - conscience.

Suneido (g4894) soon-i'-do; from 4862 and 1492; to see completely; used (like its prim.) only in two past tenses, respectively mean. to understand or become aware, and to be conscious or (clandestinely) informed of: - consider, know, be privy, be ware of.

Therefore, Walter Scott is correct: the gift is the gift of A holy spirit.

If we claim that the entire Bible has been put through the sieve of philosophy and the personal agendas of the writers then one repudiates the fact that Jesus identified His Words as Spirit and Life. Therefore, such a person does not have the gift of the "mind of Christ."

On the other hand, Paul understood supernatural gifts from the Holy Spirit as gifts from Christ:

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Ephesians 4:8

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; Acts 4:11

So, you see, the gift of Christ in this case is a measure of power or grace and not Christ as a person. In a wider sense, the gift of the Holy Spirit is that knowledge and wisdom about God which we will never hear ringing in our ears from a little ghost living inside of us. (Isaiah 11:1f)