Inspire Ohio 2012

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Advent HOPE Kettering

Shane Anderson

How To Receive the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit, Part 1:  Let Us Be Normal

Now, I know that there were some of you that wanted to be able to be here at O Dark Hundred this morning but weren't able to make it because you didn't get up to come.

And so let me just very briefly share with you what I shared this morning, a very short synopsis.

We talked about Acts chapter 5 where there's a story of the disciples and I won't take the time to go through and read that again.

It's 1 of my favorite stories, the disciples there before the Sanhedrin, they're called to account for preaching the faith.

Peter has that famous statement, we must obey God rather than men.

They decide they're going to kill him at first.

Gamaliel has a speech, persuades them not to do it, just to flog them, they're flogged.

And rather than being depressed about it, the disciples walk out rejoicing that they've been counted worthy of suffering for the name.

And I asked the question, what made the difference?

Because you see the disciples weren't always like that.

In fact if we read in Matthew 26 verses 55 and 56 we find there that instead of being bold for God the disciples essentially said then we must obey men rather than God.

Because it was in the Garden of Gethsemane when men showed up with clubs and spears that the disciples scattered like rats from a sinking ship and left Jesus all by himself.

What made the difference between Matthew 26 and Acts 5?

We did some searching, We dug through some agricultural symbolism in the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament it talks about the former and the latter rains, literal rain from the sky.

They would plant their crops, the Israelites, and of course most of the people back then were hunters, gatherers, etc., agrarian people.

They would plant their seeds in the soil.

They would pray for rain in the autumn, or that would be the former rain.

If it came from the sky it would get those seedlings up and going through the ground, and then the rain would taper off.

It was almost like a period of drought would come, and then the spring would come along many months later, and the latter rain, little drops from the sky would come and bring those budded plants to fruition.

You'd see ears of corn on the corn stalks, heads of grain on those plants of grain, and they prayed for the former and the latter rain to come.

Well, in the Old Testament, we also have specific examples of the former and latter rain having a spiritual application.

It's not something that somebody created that Ellen White came up with 1 night after eating a bad meal or something, it's actually in the Old Testament.

God says specifically that He will come to His people just like the former and the latter reigns come to the fields and furthermore he even says it's the Holy Spirit that will do that pouring out.

It will be His Holy Spirit that comes to His people like the former and the latter reigns.

We looked at the book of Joel chapter 2 verses 28 to 32 and there it predicted that there would come this incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God.

Old men would dream dreams, young men would dream visions, even men and women, God would pour out His Spirit upon them, and we look for the fulfillment of that.

Acts chapter 2 is Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is indeed poured out.

People around them think they're drunk as the disciples there are speaking other languages, but Peter says, no, they're not drunk.

This is instead the fulfillment of Joel chapter 2 verses 28 to 32.

That has come to be known as the former reign of the Holy Spirit.

It's true that the former reign of the Holy Spirit is something that we can experience on a daily basis, we'll talk about that in just a moment, but it's also the Acts chapter 2 occurrence of the outpouring of the Spirit of God was such a singular occurrence that it's often referred to as the occurrence of the former rain because the seed of the Gospel, the seed of the Christian Church was being planted at that time, the Spirit watered it and indeed shoots came up by the thousands literally as people joined the Church 1 after the other.

We look then at Revelation 18 because if the symbolism is consistent if there was a former rain in Acts Chapter 2 we should expect at some point in the future that there would come a latter rain, a latter rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit and indeed the Bible talks about it.

In Revelation 18 there it says that an angel comes, a message comes to the world that is so potent and so powerful and pervasive that it's symbolized as not merely lighting up a small corner of the world, but it illuminates the entire planet.

It's the gospel of Jesus Christ in the context of the 3 angels' messages of Revelation 14.

That is symbolized in Revelation 18, accompanied by a massive outpouring of the Spirit of God.

It's the prediction of the latter reign of the Holy Spirit.

And we left with some rather sobering realizations.

Because of the power of the outpouring of the latter reign of the Holy Spirit, we are guaranteed of certain things.

Number 1, if the latter reign of the Holy Spirit does not come, Jesus will not return in my lifetime.

I can work as hard as I want, I can work long hours, I can strategize, I can put in great plans, and Ellen White says we need to have strong generalship when we're leading out in the ministry of God.

So plans are important, strategy is important, but we can do those to our absolute heart's content and more so, and without the latter rain of the Holy Spirit the work will never be finished.

I'm guaranteed to see the grave before I see Jesus Christ.

You know I prefer to have things switched around.

I'd love to see Jesus this side of the grave, wouldn't you?

If that's to happen, then we must have the latter rain of the Holy Spirit.

And so we left the question, how do we receive this outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God?

Surely there must be something that's been revealed to us.

And indeed today I want to take us on a little trip through the spirit of prophecy and some portions of scripture that give us some clear indications of the conditions that need to be met in order for the final blessing of the spirit of God to be poured out.

Now there is a book that I want to recommend to you, I'm curious how many of you have read Leroy Froome's book, The Coming of the Comforter?

You can get this on Amazon, ABC, support your local ABC, I'm sure they'd love to have the business.

The Coming of the Comforter I think is 1 of the most persuasive and well documented books on the Holy Spirit that the Adventist Church has ever produced period.

It has some fabulous information and my guess is, particularly since the show of hands that we just had was so meager, if you're looking to get another book, put it on hold until you get this 1 and read it.

It takes the spirit of prophecy and it goes through the council there, it looks at the biblical evidence for the former and the latter range.

You need to know what's in here, especially given the times that we live in.

Now this outpouring of the Spirit of God, Frum in his book, he takes from the Spirit of Prophecy 4 conditions that need to be met.

Ellen White, in my opinion, Frum is a great scholar, better than I was, I prefer to put it in 6, 6 conditions from the spirit of prophecy, from the word of God, that need to be met in order for the latter rain to be received by me, by you, by our church.

1 of the best, well that's kind of, it's almost like the sun is out, isn't it?

By the way, did you all notice that the ladybugs gave their lives here at the top of the screen?

Just ignore those little bodies that are up there.

Now you're gonna be looking at that for the rest of the time.

This is probably, it's the best statement in the spirit of prophecy I know of that encapsulates the conditions that need to be met.

Yes, there are many others and there's nothing magic about the number 6, the way it's put together.

This is just for me the best way that I've been able to understand it.

Here's what she says, she says, "...the church must arouse to action.

The Spirit of God can never come in until she prepares the way." So okay what's this preparation?

There should be, several things now, earnest searching of heart.

There should be united persevering prayer.

And through faith a claiming of the promises of God.

There should be a deep humiliation of soul.

Now taking these, let's do a little expansion here.

How do you receive the latter rain of the Holy Spirit?

Number 1, step 1 here, receive daily the former rain.

That's in Testimonies to Ministers page 506.

The latter rain ripening earth's harvest represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of Man.

But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life.

Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection." Now if you're a farmer back in those days, this just made sense.

How can you expect to have a harvest except that you planted seed earlier in the fall of the previous year and the rains came?

Well, so often we forget this when it comes to the latter reign.

Many people, if they even know about the latter reign these days across the Adventist Church, they just kind of assume it's something that's automatic here.

Well, there's a couple things that need to come first, namely The former reign of the Holy Spirit.

Now, going on here, page 507, Testimonies to Ministers.

Without the former reign, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter reign.

It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it.

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How To Receive the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit, Part 1: Let Us Be Normal

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