Many believers are seeking a new anointing, a new power, something extra to what they already have, a Toronto Blessing, or other phenomena. I went to Jerusalem forty years ago without receiving a new anointing. Why? What I am seeking is already within me! I have it now, I am not waiting for a new anointing, I have all the power I need in my spirit now! How? Well fifty years ago I was seeking to be filled, baptised with the Holy Spirit. When I received, it was a manifestation of fire, of power, speaking with tongues like they did on the Day of Pentecost – and miracles soon began to follow. What a baptism of Power and of Fire I received that day! I received the Holy Spirit, all the mighty Power of God, everything. Now that powerful anointing which before had been outside of me, that third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, was now IN ME! There is only one Holy Spirit – HE is IN me! Not outside, I am not waiting for another Holy Spirit – HE, the Spirit who raised up Jesus from the dead, who was in Paul and Peter, that mighty, miracle-working power of the Great God I am boasting about, is in me now.

Forgiveness is at the heart of the Gospel, yet it is one of the hardest things for us to do. How can we forgive others when they have hurt us so badly? But unless we forgive, we ourselves cannot be forgiven; Jesus taught in Matthew 6, 'If you forgive those who have sinned against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.' Our example of how to love and forgive is Jesus. Romans 5:8-10 teaches, 'God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by His life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God - all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.' - We must forgive and renew friendship, just as God did for us.

'So real to me' used by kind permission of Vinesong

The challenge today is for believers to demonstrate who the REAL Jesus is. It’s a responsibility we cannot refuse or delegate, because the people in the world are confused by religion, by all the different philosophies – we’re living in a multi-cultural society and they don’t know who the REAL Jesus is! Religions are merely a man-made interpretation, therefore there are many. Theology is the theory without the practice. The God I know, admire, worship and serve is a God of Fire – Power – Action. And He requires action and obedience from us so others can find this real God.

There is a real danger that in our attempts to attract others into our faith we tend to water it down, whereas desperate people need strong faith in a strong powerful God. So this weak Gospel repels rather than attracts those we should be winning. I believe the reason we see so many young people converted in Russia is that they are looking for a real, convincing faith, which they find, and they are converted to faith in this God of power.