In my own ministry, this was a time when I saw
hundreds of denominational people receive the Holy Ghost.
For instance, in just three Bible classes I conducted once at a convention in Texas, more than
one hundred people were filled with the Holy Spirit. In these classes, a denominational minister
and his wife received the Holy Spirit and upon returning to their church in Florida, they sent me
their church bulletin. In it they openly announced they had received the Holy Ghost and spoke
with other tongues.
I also noticed in the bulletin that the chairman of the board of their church had also given his
testimony about being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking with tongues. There were more
than five hundred people attending Sunday school in this church. And the people were telling
the full-gospel story! Another denominational minister and his wife also received the Holy Ghost at this convention.
And a minister from Chicago from still another denomination also received the infilling of the
Holy Spirit.
Two ministers from a very conservative denomination also attended that convention. There are
several different branches of this particular denomination, just as there are in other
denominations and among Pentecostals.
All of the different branches of this particular denomination were conservative, but some were
ultraconservative. One of these two ministers attending the convention in Texas was from an
ultra-conservative branch. The one who was conservative received the baptism of the Holy
Spirit right away, but the ultraconservative minister didn't receive until the last day of the
meeting.
What bothered this ultraconservative minister and hindered him from receiving the baptism of
the Holy Spirit was that he didn't believe in women preachers. And the first time he came
forward to receive the Holy Ghost, two women preachers approached him to pray with him.
(Many times it seems to work that way, doesn't it? God doesn't want us to be prejudiced about
anything! He wants us to be in agreement with His Word.)
Because of this minister's preconceived ideas that women shouldn't be preachers, this took
him aback and hindered him from receiving the Holy Spirit. He asked me, "Do I have to believe
in women preachers before I can receive the Holy Ghost?"
I said, "No, you don't. At one time, I didn't believe in women being preachers either. But if you
let it bother you, it can hinder your faith and therefore hinder you from receiving the Holy
Spirit."
And we must remember, too, that when we do receive the Holy Spirit, that doesn't mean we
know everything. In some of these areas, the Holy Spirit will change our thinking because the
Bible says He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).
For example, Peter and all of the apostles had been filled with the Holy Ghost for ten years,
but they still didn't know the Gentiles could get saved.
They didn't receive that revelation until
Peter saw the vision while praying on the housetop, and God spoke to him and said, ". . . what
God hath cleansed, that call not common" (Acts 10:15). Then Peter was sent to preach the
gospel to Cornelius and his household, who were Gentiles (Acts 10:1-45).
So I said to this minister, "As long as you let women being preachers bother you, it will hinder
you.
The devil will use anything he can to get your mind off of God and on something else to
try to bring you into confusion. Just stay open to God and let Him tell you whatever He wants
to tell you. If you knew everything you should know and if you were everything you should be
without the Holy Ghost, what would you need Him for?"
This minister finally received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And, sure enough, when he was
filled with the Holy Spirit, it was a woman preacher who prayed with him! After he was filled
with the Holy Ghost, he said, "Now I believe in women preachers!" It didn't take him long to
change his mind.
FFT: Wrong mindset can hinder your access to the Holy Spirit.
ACTION POINT: Open up yourself to the Holy Spirit.
INTERACTIVE SESSION: Do you believe in women ministry?
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