1 Thess 5: 19Do not quench the
Spirit.
As Paul went around in his missionary journey to various
parts of the known world, he travelled to different regions where he planted
new Churches. However wherever he went the pharisaic Jews followed him to
disrupt his ministry. They were zealous in preventing the spread of the Gospel
which was converting Jews from everywhere to turn to Jesus.
These trouble makers would prevent the gospel to be preached
and they would also prevent the ministry that the apostles did in their healing
and deliverance of the sick and demon possessed.
In my own ministry I had also encountered the same kind of interference
during my early years. There was an occasion when we were doing a public
healing and evangelical service and some leaders from the mainline churches
were going among the crowd speaking lies that the healing miracles were false.
They were blaspheming against the Holy Spirit and were quenching the Spirit.
In the early charismatic days, there were many churches
leaders who were overzealous about quenching the Spirit and stopping the baptism
of the Holy Spirit to be ministered. In recent times, I have also encountered
the same when I was speaking and teaching on the Holy Spirit and by the time I
finshed the message and was about to move into ministry, the pastor came up and
stopped the ministry. This was another exercise of quenching the Spirit.
Unfortunately even through the thousands of years of Church
history and the transformation of the Church that has taken place, there is
still error in the Church where the Holy Spirit is concerned. The leaders in
these Churches reject the Holy Spirit and quench its move and ministry. This si
what Paul is saying, such leaders have cut off revival and the blessing of God
upon the Church.
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