Holy Spirit Encounters

By Michael Maher

Acts 2:17 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh.”

There can be no doubt that as we draw closer to the end of the age, that there has been a dramatic increase in the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the earth. The evidence is clear, for whereas Spirit filled believers throughout the earth at the start of the twentieth century, could be numbered in their thousands, Spirit filled believers in the earth at the start of the twenty first century, can now be numbered in their millions. This book is written to provide a biblical framework for believers regarding our encounters with the Holy Spirit. The reason we teach on this subject, is because if saints are ignorant about what the word of God teaches about these encounters, our adversary the devil can use that ignorance to lead them into error. To have an encounter with the Holy Spirit is to have an encounter with the supernatural. And so, because most believers have never been exposed to the supernatural before they come into the kingdom of God, if they are not taught correctly, they can be vulnerable to having encounters with the wrong spirit and can thus be misled.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Maher
• Release date: Sep 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463214190

Michael Maher

From childhood, Michael E.B. Maher has always known that the Lord's call was upon his life for the ministry. When he was saved at the age of twenty-two, almost immediately the Lord Jesus began to deal with him about entering the ministry. However, it was only many years later that he committed to the Lord to answer the Lord's call to the ministry. And so, in 2014 Michael Maher Ministries was begun. From the beginning, the mandate given to Michael from the Lord Jesus was to preach the word. And so, this ministry preaches the word of God on every available platform around the world.

Book preview

HOLY SPIRIT ENCOUNTERS

Michael E.B. Maher

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this teaching are from the New King James Version of the bible.

2019

ISBN:

Books by Michael E.B. Maher

Repentance from Dead Works

Faith Toward God

Doctrine of Baptisms

Laying on of Hands

Resurrection of the Dead

Eternal Judgement

Born Free from Sin

The Will of Man

The Conscience of Man

The Spirit of Man

The Mind of Man

The Body of Man

Spiritual Gifts

The Revelation Gifts

The Power Gifts

The Speaking Gifts

Ministry Gifts

There is Sin to Death

Prayer

Being led by the Spirit

Overcoming Unforgiveness

The Two Gospels Explained

Of Such is the Kingdom

The Last Days

Rich through His Poverty

Suffering as a Christian

Growing Strong in Spirit

The Believer’s Authority in the Earth

The Prayer of Faith

The Seventh Seal

The Millennial Kingdom

The End of the Age

Predestined to His Purpose

Contents

Chapter 1

First encounter

Chapter 2

Second encounter

Chapter 3

Subsequent encounters

Chapter 4

Physical manifestations

Chapter 1

First encounter

The outpouring begins

Acts 2:1-21 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. … (14) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. (15) For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. (16) But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: (17) 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. (18) And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. (19) I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. (20) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. (21) And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"

This book is written to provide a biblical framework for believers regarding our encounters with the Holy Spirit. The reason we teach on this subject, is because if saints are ignorant about what the word of God teaches about these encounters, our adversary the devil can use that ignorance to lead them into error. The above quoted passage of scripture is the account of the first outpouring of the Spirit of God on all flesh. In this passage, the apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel who prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the last days. On that day of Pentecost, the church was in her infancy with a total membership of just over five hundred saints (1 Corinthians 15:6) and the scripture says that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. From that point on, as the Lord added to His church throughout the world, God would then give His Holy Spirit to every new believer who asked Him (Luke 11:13). And so, we see that all through the New Testament, there are accounts in the book of Acts and in the epistles, of the phenomenon of God filling His saints with the Holy Spirit. Very clearly, God is still pouring out His Spirit on all flesh in these last days, just as He promised that He would. There can be no doubt that as we draw closer to the end of the age, that there has been a dramatic increase in the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the earth. The evidence is clear, for whereas Spirit filled believers throughout the earth at the start of the twentieth century, could be numbered in their thousands, Spirit filled believers in the earth at the start of the twenty first century, can now be numbered in their millions.

The outpouring of God’s Spirit on the saints is unique to the new covenant, for under the old covenant the Spirit of God only came upon three categories of saints, i.e. the prophet, the high priest and the king. The purpose being so that they could operate in the callings that God had placed upon them. All other believers under that covenant had no contact with the Holy Spirit at all. Under the new covenant however, all saints encounter the person of the Holy Spirit, but as we will see in this book, there are different levels of encounters that believers can have with the person of the Holy Spirit. The above passage of scripture for example, refers to our second encounter with the Holy Spirit and not our first. All believers’ experience the first encounter, some go on to experience the second encounter and still others go on to experience many subsequent encounters. And so, it is precisely because there are these different levels of encounters, that it is important for us to know how to interact with the Holy Spirit, so that we do not grieve Him in any way. To have an encounter with the Holy Spirit is to have an encounter with the supernatural. And so, because most believers have never been exposed to the supernatural before they come into the kingdom of God, if they are not taught correctly, they can be vulnerable to having encounters with the wrong spirit and can thus be misled.

Born of the Spirit

John 3:1-8 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. (2) This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. (3) Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (4) Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? (5) Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (8) The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

The first encounter that every believer has with the Holy Spirit is when they are born again, for as our Lord Jesus taught us in the above passage of scripture, everyone who believes in Him is born of the Spirit. And so, obviously this encounter with the Holy Spirit is the most important encounter that anyone could have, for without it, one cannot be saved, for it is He that creates our new spirit in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is because we are born of the Spirit, that as children of God, the Holy Spirit then indwells our spirits, for the apostle Paul clearly taught us that as believers, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit Who we have from God (1 Corinthians 6:19). This is one of the main differences between the saints of the new covenant and the saints of old covenant, for even though all believers under the old covenant had righteousness accounted to them (Romans 4:3), they could not be born again because Jesus had not yet been raised from the dead, and thus they remained spiritually dead and separated from the life of God. And so, even though the Holy Spirit came upon the prophet, the high priest and the king, to enable them to stand in their offices, He could not indwell them because they had not yet been born again, and as such they were still spiritually dead. This is the reason why our Lord Jesus taught the apostles during His earthly ministry, that although the Holy Spirit was with them (to enable them to stand in the office of apostle) He was not yet in them, and would only indwell them after Jesus had been glorified (John 14:17). Jesus re-enforced this teaching when He taught us that new wine (the Holy Spirit) must be put into new wineskins (the born-again spirit) (Luke 5:38).

Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Every child of God is different, and each one that is born again, experiences their first encounter with the Holy Spirit differently. Some are joyful, some are tearful, some simply have a peace about them while still others have powerful encounters, like Paul’s encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, but nevertheless the result of this first encounter is always the same, i.e. each one has a full assurance in their hearts that they have been saved. In the above passage of scripture, we see that it is the Holy Spirit Who witnesses with our spirits, that we are children of God. And so, the reason that we have full assurance in our hearts that we have been saved, is because both our spirits and the Holy Spirit Who resides within our spirits, assures us that we are children of God. No Christian should ever doubt their salvation, because the Holy Spirit Who is God Himself, assures their spirit within them, that they are His child.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

It is when the believer is born again, that the Holy Spirit then baptizes them into the body of Christ. The word baptize means to be fully immersed. And so, as revealed in the above passage of scripture, it is the Holy Spirit that fully immerses each believer into the body of Christ and they become a part of the body of Christ. The scripture also states that when this happens that we all partake of the Holy Spirit, for we have all been made to drink into one Spirit which is the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

So, what is the role of the Holy Spirit for one who is baptized into Christ? Scripture reveals several roles that the Holy Spirit fulfils in the life of the believer. In John’s gospel quoted above, our Lord taught us that it is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us the word of God, as He guides us into all truth. As you spend time in God’s word, ask the Father to open your understanding to His scriptures by the Holy Spirit. As you do this, you will begin to see truths in God’s word that you never saw before. For the Holy Spirit is sent by God the Father to lead you and guide you into all the truth of His word. We also see from this portion of scripture, that the Holy Spirit shows us things to come. In other words, when believers walk in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, there should be no major event that befalls them which they were not prepared for, either good or bad. Because the Holy Spirit who dwells within them, is sent by God the Father to show them those things, before they happen. The Holy Spirit also reveals Jesus to us, for our Lord taught us that when He comes that He would testify of Jesus (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit also takes of that which belongs to our Lord Jesus,