Wednesday, April 21, 2010


Messianic Judaism
and the Holy Spirit




'I'm a steward of the mysteries of God, and therefore I have to sound a note that is not necessarily sounded by my brothers though I applaud and acknowledge the value of many of the things that they say and that they uphold. But in that I have not made myself, and it has pleased God to fashion me as he has and to give to me the particular burdens that he has, I need to sound them.'

'I attended a messianic conference a few years back and was a bit irritated by one of the speakers in particular. And some of the brothers came to me and said, "Brother Art, we don’t understand why you're irritated. He's like you. He has the baptism in the Holy Spirit." "Oh," I said. "Well, that's odd. Why then does he condescend to inject this humor in his presentations, and this little shticklech, and little do-dads and gimmicks to make himself fetching and attractive?" "Well, Art, don't you know that he's a little nervous and apprehensive, and he's afraid that if he doesn't make himself attractive that people will not receive his word?"
'I've never forgotten that explanation, because it's an illustration of a profound truth: You can have the baptism in the Holy Spirit and still not be living by it. In moments of crisis, in moments of ministry, in moments of demand, in moments of fearfulness, you fall back again on your own life, your own cleverness, your own wit, your own devices. And that has not the ability to bring life. Paul said: "In him I move and live and have my being. For me to live is Christ." What is messianic life? It's to be in Christ – moment by moment, cleaving to the Tree of Life for every necessity, a wisdom beyond our own, a knowledge beyond our own, a strength and a boldness beyond our own.'

- Kansas City, Missouri (1977)

Followers