Why then do you belittle the disciples today who seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit so they can minister the word of God with power?
I don't see that at all. I see brother Rodger who like all believers that are filled with the Holy Spirit that which comes by the hearing of the faith of Christ, our treasure of power that indwells all believers. New creatures as Christians are full of the Holy Spirit that dwells in them. The same Spirit that give us His understanding as the work of that faith or labor of Christ's love that does work in us to both will and perform the good pleasure of God
with power .
The idea that when the Spirit gets weak.... we need to refill at the local Spirit filling station. It is or seems to be a idea of those who seek after signs as to what the eyes see, the temporal . The Bible says in effect they have received their reward of glorying in their own flesh or again that is what it seems like to myself. . Christian walk by faith, an understand as to what Christ meant when he said; His flesh profits for zero, nothing.
Where did that idea come from of filling, and filling the spirit ? Is that how his Spirit witnesses to our new born again spirit?
Do we look to these earthen bodies of death as a witness of spirit of freedom or like Jesus said of his own it as corrupted flesh, or flesh of bondage, it profits for nothing?
Romans 8:15-17 King James Version (KJV) 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. The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
It does not bear witness with our corrupted flesh, flesh like that of the Son of man, Jesus that could never profit . That does not give a license to sin but a new heart whose desires have a new Spirit, not like the spirit of bondage the god of this world .
If the power was of us then we could outwardly demonstrate it as some sort of confirmation. We walk by faith the unseen eternal. .
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this
treasure in "earthen vessels", that the excellency of the
power may be
of God, and
not of us.
How can we be sure that we are not turning that power upside down as did the faithless Jews. And in doing so the oral tradition made the word of God without effect .
He has not left us a orphans without the proper 20/20 prescription and not look through a dark glass.
Later in chapter 4 it would seem he gives us the prescription. Helping us to remember to look up from where our help comes from and not turn that upside down as to what the eyes see as the faithless Jews that are used to typify unbelief of all the nations. They performed that again and again just as today .
The veil representing the corrupted flesh of the Son of man Jesus is rent.
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.