Manifestation of Faith #1
Teaching Others to Manifest Holy Spirit
by Ivan Maddox
Atlanta, GA
How do you teach people to manifest holy spirit? Or, for that matter, should you have to teach them how to manifest? Is this a matter best left for the Spirit of God to handle?
I grew up in a Pentecostal church where the manifestations of the spirit were very much in evidence. The saints there believed very strongly that the Spirit was the only teacher necessary; they would have considered it presumptuous of one human being trying to teach another human being how to manifest. They were strong in prayer and strong in believing. Unfortunately, because they tended to elevate personal experience above the testimony of the written Word of God, many of their personal experiences were at variance with God's Word.
I received most of my education in the holy spirit field from a church that emphasized God's written Word rather than personal experience. They were strong in faith and strong in their knowledge of God's written Word. They had excellent classes designed to teach people how to manifest holy spirit. Unfortunately, when I had to leave them, I and the people I was teaching lost access to those classes.
How do you teach people to manifest holy spirit without classes? Did God's people always have classes for teaching the manifestations? Or did they have to rely on trial and error to learn to walk with God?
In the Bible, there was no one way for people to learn to manifest holy spirit. God's Word documents several different learning methods. These include:
1. Spontaneous Manifestation. The individual involved appears to begin manifesting holy spirit without any instruction from anyone.
2. Instruction from God. God Himself provides the necessary instruction and training to the individual on how to manifest.
3. Teaching by Example. One man with holy spirit watches another man with holy spirit manifest over a period of time, then goes out on his own and manifests for himself.
4. Third-party Manifestations. One man with holy spirit receives revelation. Instead of carrying it out himself, he gives it to another man with holy spirit to carry out.
These methods are not necessarily exclusive; an individual may learn by more than one method. Let's look at examples of each of these methods in God's Word, and see what we can learn from them.
Spontaneous Manifestation.
There are several examples in the Bible of people manifesting holy spirit on their own, apparently without receiving instruction from anybody. This seems to occur most often with the worship and revelation manifestations.
One of the most striking examples is the prophesying of the seventy-two elders, recorded in Numbers 11:16-17 and 24-29.
And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear [it] not thyself alone...'
And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.
And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that [was] upon him, and gave [it] unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, [that], when the spirit rested upon them, they prophecied, and did not cease.
But there remained two [of the] men in the camp, the name of the one [was] Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them, and they [were] of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophecied in the camp.
And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, 'Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, [one] of his young men, answered and said, 'My Lord Moses, forbid them.'
And Moses said unto him, 'Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, [and] that the Lord would put His spirit upon them!'
One thing especially interesting about this record is that God asked Moses to pick out the people who were to receive holy spirit, rather than God picking them out Himself. This seems to be an incredible example of trust on God's part, and says much about Moses' relationship with God.
Another example occurred after Saul was anointed king of Israel, and is recorded in I Samuel 10:1-11.
Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured [it] upon his head, and kissed him, and said, '[Is it] not because the Lord hath anointed thee [to be] captain over His inheritance?
When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, 'The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, 'What shall I do for my son?'
Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
And they will salute thee, and give thee two [loaves] of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.
After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where [is] the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, [that] thou shalt do as occasion serve thee; for God [is] with thee.
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, [and] to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.'
And it was [so], that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, 'What [is] this [that] is come unto the son of Kish? [Is] Saul also among the prophets?'
The outpouring of holy spirit on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2:1-4 is probably the most famous example of spontaneous manifestation.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
These examples seem to confirm that instruction in the manifestations is not always necessary before someone can manifest holy spirit. Yet these cases seem to be more the occasional exception than the general rule.
One other thing stands out about these examples. In each case we have looked at, the fact that the individual manifested holy spirit is more important than what was manifested. With Saul and with the seventy-two elders, what was important was that they prophesied, not what they said. Likewise, on the day of Pentecost, the fact that believers spoke in tongues was more important than what they said. This was also the case with Cornelius and his family. I do not know if this pattern persists throughout God's Word, but it does bear looking into.
Instruction from God.
God is certainly qualified to teach people to use the manifestations which He designed and provided. Each of the manifestations depends totally on God in order to work; yet He is the one instructor we usually overlook.
The classic example of learning from God is found in Exodus 4:1-9, where God teaches Moses how to do signs.
And Moses answered and said, 'But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, 'The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.'
And the Lord said unto him, 'What [is] that in thine hand?' And he said, 'A rod.'
And He said, 'Cast it on the ground.' And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail.' And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
'That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.'
And the Lord said furthermore unto him, 'Put now thine hand into thy bosom.' And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand [was] leprous as snow.
And he said, 'Put thy hand into thy bosom again.' And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his [other] flesh.
'And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour [it] upon the dry [land]: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry [land].
One thing stands out vividly in this record. God did not let Moses know in advance what He was doing; as a result, Moses was not expecting the startling supernatural results that followed his acts of obedience. Moses was not believing for the results; yet miracles followed. Yet and still, the signs worked in each of these cases. What was important was not that Moses believe for results -- in fact, that does not seem to have been required -- but that he trust God enough to do exactly what God said do, even if that meant picking up a serpent by the tail!
In Jeremiah 1:4-10 and 17-19, the Lord instructed Jeremiah in how to be a prophet.
Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
'Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.'
Then said I, 'Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I [am] a child.'
But the Lord said unto me, 'Say not, 'I [am] a child': for thou shalt go to all that I send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.'
'Be not afraid of their faces: for I [am] with thee to deliver thee', saith the Lord.
Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, 'Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant...
Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
For, behold, I have made thee this day a defensed city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I [am] with thee', saith the Lord, 'to deliver thee.'
In a nutshell, God's instruction to Jeremiah is, "What I tell you, you tell the people." There is no elaborate instruction on how to listen for God's voice, or how to tell if God really spoke to you. Clearly God expected Jeremiah to have no problem whatsoever with that. God is perfectly capable of making sure He's heard and understood.
One of the things that stands out most in both these records is the utter simplicity of God's instructions. God is not the one who complicates the manifestations; we are! Because we convince ourselves that the manifestations must be more complicated than they actually are, we have many times not recognized these records for what they are.
Teaching by Example.
Jesus and his disciples provide the best example of this method of teaching the manifestations. The disciples were with Jesus day in and day out, watching him as he delivered people with the power of God.
Mark 3:13-15.
And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth [unto him] whom he would: and they came unto him.
And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.
Luke 6:17-19.
And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed [them] all.
When he called them, his disciples did not have holy spirit; nor does it appear that they received holy spirit immediately after they were called. Thus, while they were able to watch what Jesus was doing, they were unable to do it themselves. But when they did receive power and authority from Jesus, they were ready to go. Without holy spirit, all the instruction and examples in the world will get you nowhere.
Luke 9:1-6.
Then called he his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
And he said unto them, 'Take nothing for [your] journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.
And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.
Notice that Jesus gave them plenty of instructions here, but none about how to manifest holy spirit. Nor did the disciples ask any questions about how to manifest. The example he had set for them seems to have been all the instruction they needed.
The twelve were not the only ones who needed no instructions on how to manifest when Jesus sent them out.
Luke 10:1, 17-20.
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come...
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.'
And he said unto them, 'I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.'
The real key to using the manifestations of the spirit does not lie in knowing any special keys or techniques, but rather in having the necessary authority and power from God.
Third-party Manifestations.
Another method of teaching people to manifest was for one person with holy spirit to take the revelation he had received and give it to another individual with holy spirit to carry out. This method was often used to train prophets.
One of the first to use this method was Moses, under the direction of God, with Aaron.
Exodus 7:1-2.
And the Lord said unto Moses, 'See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
Exodus 8:5-6.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, 'Say unto Aaron, 'Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.
And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
God did this for the benefit of both Moses and Aaron. Moses had complained that he was slow of speech, so God provided Aaron to speak for him. By Exodus 9, Moses was speaking directly to Pharaoh without Aaron as intermediary. And by Exodus 12, the Lord was giving revelation to Aaron as well as Moses, rather than having Moses receive the revelation and give it to Aaron.
This method emphasized obedience to revelation. Receiving revelation is rarely our problem; our problem is with doing what God said do.
Conclusions.
The mechanics of the manifestations of the spirit are very simple, as long as we distinguish between God's job and our job, and are content to do only our job. Our job is simply to listen to and obey God. We do not make miracles happen; God does. We do not appropriate revelation; God gives it to us. We do not heal people; God does.
There is clearly no one right way to teach people the mechanics of manifesting holy spirit. But the mechanics are rarely the problem. Obedience is. If we can train people to read the written Word of God faithfully, and to obey it promptly, they will be ready to obey when God speaks to them.
I have not yet mentioned what I believe is the greatest teacher of the manifestations in existence, because that is the one which I wish to focus on. The Bible itself is uniquely designed to teach people how to manifest holy spirit, as well as how to walk by the spirit of God.
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