I Will Not Leave You ORPHANOS
Peter couldn't help but deny the Lord before he received the Power from on High.
Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later."
Peter said unto him, "Lord, why can't I follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake."
Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for my sake? Truly, truly, I say to you, The rooster shall not crow, until you have denied me three times." John 13:36-38
Before we are baptized in Spirit we are at best like Peter was in these passages. And not only can we not TRULY follow the Lord until we are baptized/born again, but our natural man cannot help but DENY Him. We must be baptized with Power in order to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8; Luke 22:31-34).
Even immediately following Jesus' crucifixion, Peter temporarily went back to being a fisherman. (John 21:3). It wasn't until Pentecost when Peter received the power TO follow Jesus, AND lay down his life. Which he did (2 Peter 1:14).
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"Orphanos" Strong's Greek: 3737. ὀρφανός - Only two usages in the New Testament. John 14:18 and James 1:27; "Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world." -NET
“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:3
The teachings that there are two events of being born again and then receiving the baptism in the holy Spirit is false doctrine. I knew that since the day of my conversion to the Christ, even though many have attempted to teach me otherwise. I know because when I was born again, I was baptized in the holy Spirit. It was one and the same event. Very powerful.
Those who teach this false doctrine learned it from a person who is in error. And this dual-event position cannot be proven through Scripture. However, my position CAN be proven, very clearly.
Jesus said to His disciples and to His future disciples (us);
"If you love me, ...
"If" (makes the statement conditional) you agapáō - love Him. That means you understand that He loved you first and died on the cross for YOU (1 John 4:10).
... keep my commandments." (or "keep my commands") John 14:15
Or follow His EXTERNAL prompting (as He isn't in you yet), His written word. And you will follow the Words of Christ right into the New Covenant !! And the FIRST thing you need is the power from on high i.e., the Baptism in God's holy Spirit, as the Christos Son instructed to His disciples regarding Pentecost. See as follows:
16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another ...
"Another" GUIDE BESIDE the WRITTEN external Word on paper! This Guide will be IN US! And Giving us POWER to KEEP the written Word in a brand new and powerful way where God alone gets ALL the glory!
"... Comforter ...", Properly, Legal advocate (paraklétos) who will guide you from WITHIN (GREAT EMPHASIS). Thus fulfilling the New Covenant i.e., "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." (Jeremiah 31:31-34; 2 Corinthians 3:3)
"... that he may abide with you FOR EVER; "
17. "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him: but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be IN YOU."
18. I will not leave you as an ORPHAN ("comfortless") Only King James Version and other very old versions use the term "comfortless" there. The word is actually “ORPHANOS” in the Greek. He said He will not leave us as ORPHANS(!!!) Because you cannot be a true child of God without receiving the Spirit of God from the Son! It seems that the old Bible translators didn't like this because perhaps they were convicted and knew that the way the Scriptures read that THEY THEMSELVES were orphanos! (John Wycliffe's 1380 English edition translated it as "fatherless" which is more accurate than comfortless.)
Fortunately, most of the newer versions have the proper translation there now which is why I believe it's so important to be able to look at the Greek text underneath the English translation so you can see yourself which is the better translation. I studied the King James Version for 20 years and was taught that it was the best version. I no longer believe that at all. And I have been greatly blessed by being able to study other versions and always be able to look at the Greek and verify if the translation is correct or not. In 400 years since the KJV bible was translated the English language has changed a lot. Many words in the KJV bible are OBSOLETE. Let's continue:
18. I will not leave you as an ORPHANOS ... I will come to you. 19. Yet a little while, and the world sees me no more; but you see Me: because I live, you shall live also.
20. On that DAY you shall KNOW that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (Has this happened to you? It happened to me in 1997! I KNEW Jesus entered into my heart. It was very powerful and this scripture was fulfilled in and through me by God's unmerited favor to me through His Christos Son, JESUS!)
21. "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” (Jesus is telling us we HAVE to do this. By ourselves if need be. No excuses!)
22. Judah (not of Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23. Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him. 24. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.
25. All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you.
Important. As He had not yet ascended to be able to GIVE the Holy Spirit yet (John 7:39).
26. But the Comforter (Legal Advocate), which is the holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:15-26
I prayed to God for the answer to this and He answered me and opened up my understanding to these facts and guided me into the study of His word where I finally understood that the King James Version Bible, which I was taught is "the best" and I've studied for 20 years, does NOT get this right! it is translated TERRIBLY there (and many other places, in fact).
Praise the Lord! I hope this helps straighten out all those who were taught falsely that there are TWO separate events. One, becoming born again. And Two, receiving the Baptism. They are both one and the same and you are NOT a child of God UNTIL you receive God's One Spirit through Jesus Christ!
Read 3 more similar messages of mine on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit:
May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you. Amen
You can be saved!
God loves the people in the world so much that He came down to die for us. If God is opening your heart to His message and you feel convicted for your sins which have separated you from a holy God and you feel the need to be forgiven, then say this prayer. This is how I was powerfully converted to the Christ in 1997!
Say, "My Lord and my God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe Jesus the Christ died on the cross and shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of all my sins. I believe Jesus raised from the dead and ascended into heaven and is now on the right-hand side of God listening to this prayer. I open up the door of my heart and I invite You in, Lord Jesus. Thank you, God, for saving my soul and I vow to serve you with all my heart which is the first and greatest commandment. Amen."