Pursuing Deity

praise God praise God praise God Amen let's open our Bibles to Philippians chap 3: 7 through vers 12 while we're doing so I'd like to thank brother Anthony Mangan Brother G Mangan for providing this forum for furtherance of apostolic Revival brother Tenny Louisiana district superintendent brother harrism General foreign missions director and brother Jack Cunningham general home missions director director it's good to see them Philippians 3:7 but what things were gained to me those I counted loss for Christ ye doubtless and I count all things but lost for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and to count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is of the law but that that which is through Faith of Christ the righteousness which is of god by faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the Dead not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus praise God I want to talk to you for a few moments this evening on the thought pursuing deity pursuing deity let's lift our hands and give God the glory thank you Jesus praise God thank you you may be seated there is an ENT desire and an underlying passion that characterizes the life of the great Apostle Paul there lies deep within his heart and effusive desire intertwined in the very fabric of his human existence to know the Lord in a more intimate manner in a way that eclipses the mediocrity of a superficial encounter with deity his words that I might know him leap from the pages of his letter to the Philippian Church assaulting our hearts like weld aimed errors meeting their mark this is no simple whim of the Apostle it is the very want of his soul this is not fervor for fervor is simply a warm and steady emotion it is not aror for aror is a warm excited feeling that is likely to be short-lived It Is Not Mere enthusiasm for enthusiasm suggests only a lively or eager interest in a cause or activity no this is is his passion a Zeal an unflagging pursuit or Devotion to a cause he doesn't say that he wants to preach better sermons or perhaps sing better or teach better or be used in some spiritual gift no he wants to know him whom our soul desire we all know Jesus on some level but some of us are destined to fight the way out of the gray area of mediocrity to know the Lord in a more intimate way knowing Jesus is the supreme goal of man but how do we know him Paul said yay though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more even the apostles who had the great privilege of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ in his fleshly manifestation could no longer know him in that particular Dimension the only way to know Jesus is through the power and the anointing of the holy spirit for you see

God is spirit Spirit is the very essence of deity the flesh cannot perceive the nature of God there therefore the only way to know him truly is entering into the spirit through prayer and through worship prayer and worship introduce us into the spiritual realm and it is indeed in that realm that we can only truly no God the only way to exercise Paul said the believer must exercise his senses the spiritual senses of man are comparable to the five natural senses which are sight hearing smell taste and touch the only way to exercise the spiritual senses is through prayer and worship in prayer and worship we perceive the presence of of God it is where we see him it is where we hear him it is where we sense the sweet smelling Savor of his presence it is where we taste him it is where we touch him I'm feeling the holy ghost in the house tonight praise God the five natural senses are the vehicles the vehicles through which man perceives the natural realm prayer and worship are the mediums that allow man to perceive the very presence of almighty God through prayer and worship we exercise our spiritual senses we become more sensit sensitive to God to his voice and to his presence the five natural senses send messages to the brain allowing man to have contact with his surroundings prayer and worship sends us messages from the Holy Spirit making us aware of the spiritual realm that surrounds us when we refuse to pray and we refuse to worship we are in effect cutting ourselves off from the very source of spiritual power that we need so desperately I feel a Praying Spirit coming on tonight I feel like somebody came to because of the time times 2001 and something's crying out within your heart and within your soul for a deeper experience with God my God I believe the Holy Ghost wants to talk to us tonight I think we need to key in on the Holy Ghost and just as our five human senses allow us to have contact with the surroundings around about us we need to become perceptive in the spirit realm we need to reach out in the Holy Ghost tonight because God's power and anointing is in this place in a mighty way to do miraculous things among us in this building here tonight somebody has got to reach out in the Holy Ghost and somehow get a hold of being sensitive to the move of allmighty God see Elijah had his spiritual senses well exercised allowing him to perceive the presence of angels while his servant who was not accustomed to the spiritual ambient couldn't see past the natural Realm of the obvious the obvious obstacles of Life need to be contemplated through eyes that have been opened through contact with the spirit flesh perception will always bring fear but spirit Spirit perception will always allow us to see things correctly my my my my my my my my oh I fear that some of us here tonight are perceiving our own particular set of circumstances our own situation through the Flesh and not Through The Eyes of the spirit I can only imagine that while John was exiled on the aisle of patmas a small rocky arid Island whose Dimension measured 6 mil by 10 mi in circumference he must have looked at his situation in the flesh and the enemy must have told him where is your God now the church in Asia's being persecuted you're out here stuck on this island by yourself no one cares no one's concerned about you where is your Revival where are the fulfilled Promises of God in your life and in your ministry let me say as long as we perceive our

situation in the flesh as long as John saw his situation in the flesh he only saw what the flesh perceives fear doubt insecurity and discouragement which are all byproducts not of the spirit but rather of the flesh however John is un flagging in his pursuit of deity his example impels us to reach farther and pursue our own personal encounter with the spirit regardless of the obvious visible manifestations of opposition from the enemy John is not thed in his purpose in his pursuit of deity where he emphatically declares I was in the spirit which can be understood to mean I became spiritual he personalizes the move of the spirit and the manifestation of the spirit when he says I was in the spirit he was saying I don't know where you were at but I know where I was at I was in the spirit Hallelujah I became spiritual too often we feel that this getting in the spirit is some arbitrary Act of deity where God introduces us into the Spirit by force or without our participation in the process however let me remind you tonight that in order to be in the spirit and being in the spirit is indeed a bilateral process involving both God's willingness to bless and man's hunger to be blessed Hallelujah and what I know that our Sovereign God can and does at times manifest himself in such a manner that we simply cannot resist his power I also realize that by and large man's voluntary submission and subsequent participation with God's holy spirit are essential elements in the pursuit of deity John knew what we all know that even though we are all in the spirit in the general sense of the word in this building here tonight for God's spirit in this place is surrounding us it's wall to wall holy ghost in the house tonight from the balcony to the pull pit to the choir loft to these seats out in front of me the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost is in this place I wish somebody would help me get a hold of this thing here tonight I wish somebody would reach out and get a hold of D my God have mercy let's lift our voice says unto the king I feel a mighty shout of victory in the house tonight do you want to know him do you want to know him praise God you see though we're all here in the spirit in the general sense of the word not all of us will leave here saying I was in the spirit for it's one thing to be in the spirit and it's another to be in the spirit honey you have the Holy Ghost all around you it could be wall to wall can be moving and flowing upon you and through this building pulsating the power and the anointing of God is here but it's not it it is of no use and no avail to any of us until we make a conscientious effort and we stay within ourselves I don't know what you're going to do I don't know what my neighbor's going to do I don't what somebody needs to get in the Holy Ghost tonight I'm telling you your answer it's not in the flesh your answer is in the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost

put your hands together let's give him praise come on there it is there it is somebody somebody's getting in the Holy Ghost praise God my you see it's one thing to be in the spirit and it's another to be in the spirit for you see getting in the spirit entails loving the Lord thy God with all thy thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy might we are to worship God with all of our might or in other words exceedingly highly supremely and in excess the word might used in this scripture comes from a Hebrew root which means to take a poker and stir the Embers of a fire our worship and pursuit of deity is to be like taking a poker and stirring up the Embers in order to make the fire hotter I tell you what needs to happen around here tonight some of us need to walk out of that building red hot full of the Holy Ghost and the power and the anointing of almighty God why don't we just Stir It Up a little bit come on let's Stir It Up Stir It Up let your praise be heard release your faith Jesus Jesus sh in Jesus name in Jesus name I perceive in the spirit tonight somebody is going to be changed somebody is going to leave this building red hot Stir It Up Stir It Up come on move it move it move it move it Stir It Up move it I feel in the Holy I feel a shout coming on right now clap your hands all ye people Shout Shout shout shout come on there it is take it higher higher higher higher higher release your worship it's like the sound of the voice of mini Waters we're unleashing healing right now in the name of Jesus Christ we're unleashing the gifts of the Spirit In The Name of Jesus Christ we're unleashing the spirit of joy and peace in the name of Jesus woo Stir It Up Stir It Up Stir It Up make it red hot red hot red

hot sh hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah we're pursuing deity right now we're behind deity right now we're reaching out to lay our hands on deity right now praise God praise God praise God I'm not going to stop this if that God wants to take this thing over it's up to him Hallelujah Oh Glory Glory Glory Glory Glory Glory Glory listen to me for just a second the Athenians worshiped at the altar of the unknown God but Paul said that we should seek after the only true God feel after him and find him the phrase to feel after God or feel after him is a metaphor referring to the motion of passing your hands over the surface of an object as a seeing impaired person would do so in order to know it and Define it come on Hallelujah I'm talking about pursuing deity tonight I'm talking about pursuing God tonight I'll tell you something and it is such a true thing tonight some I don't think we can know him without reaching out and feeling for him becoming sensitive to him and through prayer and worship and the passionate pursuit of deity we are actually passing our hands over the very surface of God over his very nature over his presence that's how we know him how long has it been since you reached out and touched him you see sometimes my faith is like the groping fingers of the blind man who seeks to know what he is touching I don't always see everything as clearly as I would like to but at times it is the very blindness my lack of understanding my need to know him that makes my senses Keener as I desperately seek to feel after him and find him groping reaching out laying my hands upon his Spirit rubbing my hand across his nature and his power and His Glory Hallelujah I'm telling you don't be afraid to stretch out your hands and reach after him in this building here tonight don't be afraid to cry don't be afraid to weep don't be afraid to travail don't be afraid to shout don't be afraid to Rejoice do whatever you have to do but feel after him feel after him feel after him Hallelujah I think we just lift our hands let's feel after him right now come on come on you're tired you're discouraged things look Bleak but Reach Out Lay Your Hands On deity tonight know the nature of God once again know him once again feel after him once again my my my my my my my my my my my my my let's all stand to our feet and lift our hands and let's get give him praise come on I'm done let's give him praise let's give him glory let's lift him up

let's feel after him reach out and lay your hands on the surface of God I tell you what you got to want this thing oh Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah I tell you what I feel and I'm going to stop there are some of you that are going through difficulties and circumstances and situations you brought them with you here when John got in the spirit he saw many things in the spirit but the F the last thing he probably saw was a door opened in heaven doors don't open till you get in the spirit honey that's what's wrong with some folks they're trying to do everything in the flesh trying to build a church in the flesh trying to sing in the flesh preach In the Flesh worship In the Flesh when you get into the spirit realm doors open in the glory world does anybody need a need a door to open tonight raise your hand you need some kind of a door in the spirit realm you need healing for your body you need Deliverance you need something right now now put your hand down the Bible says that when they went around the walls of Jericho that Joshua told them you shout before the walls come down now some of us are waiting for God to move before we shout but I see a door open in heaven tonight I see a window of opportunity and on the count of three we're fix to shout with the voice of Triumph and God is going to begin to pour out the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost in This building and when you get back home doors are going to be opening in your community doors are going to be opening for your ministry doors that hither to were closed I wish I could get the spirit of a prophet on me right now to prophesy unto you and to tell you God's going to open some doors are you ready on the count of three 1 2 3 Shout Shout Shout with a voice of Triumph doors are happening right now in the spirit realm come on come on come on Shout Shout Shout Shout come on there it is there it is right now feel after God feel after God Shout