This is the conclusion to the Life in the Spirit held at Patriarch House Sep-Oct 2022. Truth of the Spirit hosted by Patti Brunner of Patriarch Ministries welcomes Jeanette McManus for Salvation and Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The episode concludes with individual prayer for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The playlist available on the Truth of the Spirit YouTube channel includes four talks and four witness speakers. For audio player, YouTube link, and transcript please continue reading.
Life in the Spirit Fall 2022 at Patriarch House Series playlist is available at Life in the Spirit Fall 2022 at Patriarch House – YouTube
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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Heavenly Father we just thank you so much for gathering us together. To, to hear your message of significance for us. Lord we thank You that You pour out your Holy Spirit upon us. We ask that we are open. Open our eyes, open our ears, open our hearts to the fullness of your love. We thank you Lord. We ask that you continue to bless us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
So, my name is Patti Brunner and this is our fourth week of Life in the Spirit. So, our first week we heard Deacon Ronnie Hoyt and he showed us how experiencing the love of God just changes everything. Just changes everything! And it allows us to know God and have that fullness of His Spirit in us, and how it helps us to show forth, then, the fruit of the Spirit: the patience, the love, the kindness that comes forth from God’s love within us. And part of the reason we do a Life in the Spirit is to help everyone to be more open to experiencing God’s love.
The second week we talked about equipping the people with God’s gifts of the Spirit, God’s gifts of charisms. And there are many gifts. I mean there are hundreds and hundreds of gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us. But we discussed a little more deeply about the charisms, or the extraordinary gifts, the manifestation gifts that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. And we showed how Prophecy, Words of Knowledge, Words of Wisdom, Healing, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, all of those wonderful gifts help us to share God’s love with others and to build up the kingdom, to build up the Church, to build up the Kingdom of God.
Then our third week, we heard there are some barriers sometimes that need to be overcome before we can have the fullness of God, and some of the ways that we can overcome those barriers through Prayer, Healing, and Forgiveness, and especially, the importance of forgiveness. And how, in the Our Father it says, we pray to be forgiven “as we forgive others”. And how important it is to forgive others; and as we forgive others more and more, we allow, we are able to take in the fullness of God within us more easily.
And tonight we are going to hear about Salvation-A Changed Life and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. So you are in for a treat tonight. So I would like to introduce our speaker tonight is Jeanette McManus.
[Jeanette McManus] Well, glad to see you back. What part does the Holy Spirit play in salvation? I say a great part and probably the most important part. Bishop Sheen stated that man was created with a body, soul and spirit. And he used the small letter ‘s’. And he wanted to contrast this with the capital ‘S’ that refers to the Holy Spirit. The body deals with the physical and the senses like feel, touch, taste. Our soul deals with our intellect, thinking, feelings, emotions. Because we were born in the image of God, our spirit can innately grasp a little of right and wrong. But, God did not leave us there. We weren’t meant to live by ourselves. God wanted to have an intimacy with us, so the Holy Spirit (capital ‘S’) binds God and his love with man. As a result, man lived in complete harmony, holiness, goodness and justice. Man lacked nothing. He was completely happy and at peace.
Then you know the rest of the story. Original sin came into the world. Upon violating the Divine Command, Adam and Eve lost their holiness, completeness and justice in which they had been created. Man was left to be on his own. Even today, we struggle in life because we fall into ungodly ways.
Bishop Robert Barron best describes what happened to man after ‘The Fall’. And I quote: “The human race is best characterized as a dysfunctional spiritual family. All of us have been marked from birth by the effects of sin. Sin has found its way into every aspect of human life, personally and institutionally. Without God we fall apart. We are at war with ourselves.” (Unquote).
Man could not save himself. We needed a mediator. God, in His goodness, sends his beloved son to become man. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, reconciles us to God through his Blood and redeems mankind. Jesus is more than a prophet and teacher. He is God, our Savior. It saddens me today when so many people see Jesus only as a good teacher and a prophet. He is our God and worthy of all our praise.
Through our Baptism original sin is erased and the Holy Spirit comes to live with us. Through the Holy Spirit we receive graces, gifts and favors which gathers us back into a life of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within us to guide and direct us to God the Father and God the Son.
Bishop Barron tells an interesting story about what it means to have the Holy Spirit living in us. A group of priests would meet weekly to discuss the parishes they were shepherding. And one priest told this story. The priest said that he had a parishioner who came to him and told him he doesn’t believe in God anymore. He wanted the priest to erase him from the parish family and asked him to tear up his baptismal certificate. The priest told him he could remove him from membership and he could tear up the baptismal certificate. But he said, “I can’t do one thing. I can’t erase your baptism because the Holy Spirit lives within your soul forever. God is a faithful God and He keeps his promises.”
Oh, that indelible mark that lasts forever! The Holy Spirit within us forever! How consoling! What an awesome God we serve. Now the big question is what are we doing with this Holy Spirit? I wish I could say that I gave my life over completely to the Holy Spirit from the beginning. It took years for me to realize how necessary He is in my life. I believed the Spirit was there but I didn’t want to let Him into my life.
I was born into the traditional Catholic family. I went to church and tried to lead the good life. Before I can tell my story, I need to tell you about my twin sister. She became a nun and taught German and Philosophy at the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota. One summer, in the late 60’s, she attended a Life in the Spirit seminar at Notre Dame University. She came back a changed person. The Holy Spirit told her to start a House of Peace and Prayer. She had a difficult time convincing her Mother Superior that she should give up her teaching. Well, she finally did. A doctor gave her a building for free and then she able to set up God’s House of Peace and Prayer.
At this time, I had married and lived in Chicago. Whenever I could, I would go home to Minnesota I would attend my sister’s prayer meetings. It was the first time I had seen a number of charisms at work, such as: Speaking in Tongues, Slain in the Spirit, and Word of Knowledge. During this time I had my doubts about all of this. Sometimes I thought my sister was crazy. Yet, I knew she had something special. My problem was if I made a commitment to God, I knew that my life style would have to change. I was not ready for that. This went on for at least 12 years.
In 1980 my husband’s job transferred him to Camden, Arkansas. Before we moved I prayed that I wanted the Lord to change my spiritual life for the better. I began to realize that I wanted a part of what my sister had. Little did I know that the Lord would answer me so quickly! The first Sunday we were in Camden we attended mass at St. Louis Catholic Church, a Spirit-filled church. Something was different about this church. Father Deinert’s homily was so Spirit-filled. We felt a quiet presence throughout that Church. The whole church made us feel welcomed.
I started to participate in prayer meetings and Bible studies. Then came the day I was prayed over. I called it my day of epiphany! When I was prayed over I gave my life over to the Holy Spirit. By humbling myself I knew that I needed more of Christ in my life. Something happened to me when they prayed over me. I can’t explain it. Something was different. A great peace and joy filled my whole being. For the first time Christ became personal. Then, the Word of Knowledge (and Word of Wisdom) that I received many years ago at my sister’s prayer meetings came to me. And the word was this, “You have many doubts now, you will take a long time before you give your life completely over to the Lord but when you do, you will be like an oak tree, strong and sturdy for the Lord.” Alleluia! My time had come! Oh, how good the Lord is! What patience He had waiting for me to say, “Yes, Lord.” Excuse me. (reaches for a tissue.)
In Matthew 7 it says, “Ask and it will be given. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.” I believed I asked when I prayed that my spiritual life would change. Then, I was seeking when I joined prayer groups and Bible studies. And, finally, my epiphany came when I humbled myself enough to say “Christ, I need you in my life.” Now I have an intimacy with God that is so genuine. The Holy Spirit continues to direct and guide me in whatever I do. My life has changed. I never want to go back to my hectic former life. The Holy Spirit works in many ways in my life.
When my husband was diagnosed with melanoma cancer, the prognosis was not good. He had to have surgery, chemotherapy, and possibly other treatments. I remember praying for him and was told to read Psalm 118, which I had never read before. I focused on the verse that said, “He will live to proclaim the word of the Lord”. My husband’s surgery was a success and he needed no other treatments. Another time, my son was diagnosed with viral meningitis. He was in severe pain and we were not sure if he would live. I asked the Lord to let my son, Joe, know that He was with Joe and that Joe could feel His presence. Joe told me that during his medical tests, which were very painful, that he felt a hand touching him on his side. His pain subsided and he said he felt great peace. Shortly after that he had a complete recovery.
Sometimes the Lord disciplines me, other times He doesn’t answer the way I want. Christ did not promise us a rose garden but a cross. I was so thankful that the Lord was with me throughout the many years that I was a caregiver for my husband who suffered from Lewi-Bodi Dementia. I keep trusting that the Lord knows what is best for me. God is so good and faithful.
One question that is asked so often of me is, “How do we know that something is from the Lord?” Father Dienert always told us if something is of the Lord, you will find a great peace and joy. Jesus summarizes it best in John 14:27 when He said, “Peace I give to you, my own peace I give to you, a peace that the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.” This joy and peace is present even in difficult times. With the Lord, we overcome.
I also prayed for the gift of discernment. There was a time in my life when I was thankful for the gift of discernment. Early in my life I had committed an indiscretion that I knew hurt another person. I asked for forgiveness and I knew I was forgiven. Many years later, this indiscretion was resurfaced after someone mentioned it to me again. It seemed like my heart was being pierced again. All of the pain and guilt returned to me. I felt unworthy and started to think God had not forgiven me. I found myself in a pit of despair. I finally discerned that this was not of God. And I cried out for the Lord to help me. Then I heard this voice saying, “I forgave you of this indiscretion many years ago.” The same voice said, “Don’t you know that I have set you free?” I envisioned the Good Shepherd telling me to hold on to his staff. As he was pulling me out of my pit of despair, a voice said, “You belong to me.” In John 8:36 Jesus says, “If the Son makes you free, you will be freed indeed.”
Remember when Deacon Ronnie talked about all the ways God loves us. This incident in my life was one of the most profound ways that I have ever felt God’s love for me. Oh, how Jesus must love me, a sinner. How thankful I am that He cares for me. St. Teresa of Avila amply stated, “Beware of the snakes and the creatures that prowl around trying to devour us and separate us from the love of God.” Keep trusting in the Lord and you will overcome.
Finally, what can we do to continue our walk with the Lord and the Holy Spirit? The most important thing we need to do is make time for the Lord. In Mark it says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else will be added.” This tells us to order our lives. God first, then he will help with the rest. This leads to another important thing. Develop a prayer life. Seek always to have a closer walk with Jesus. Join prayer groups if you can. We need others to uplift us. Sharing binds us together with a great love. Another thing to do is to participate in Bible Studies and to study the lives of saints. This is what I learned from St. Teresa of Avila. She says the more we learn about Jesus, the more we learn who we are. Always pray for humility, then, the Lord can take this nobody, like me, and change me into somebody pleasing to God. I want to repeat that again. “Always pray for humility, then, the Lord can take this nobody, like me, and change me into somebody pleasing to God.”
The ultimate goal of all of us is to see the glory of God of God in Heaven. The Holy Spirit leads us to the way of holiness, wholeness, goodness and justice. Some saints call this as having a little bit of heaven on earth. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” This is from Revelation 3:20. Can you imagine this? Jesus wants to dine with us. If we want to dine with Him, then we must open the door.
Lastly, we are called to outreach and to evangelize others. I learned the following from a Spirit-filled mother of four. We should never be ashamed of spreading the word of Jesus. We should take every opportunity to talk about how much Jesus loves us. She ended by saying, “We should go nutty for Christ.” Yes, we should go ‘nutty for Christ’.
In closing, I want to say, “Come Holy Spirit! Fall afresh upon us. Sweep over our souls with your love. Amen.
[others respond] Amen.
[Patti lead singing] Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
[Jeanette] Let’s sing it once again.
[Patti lead singing] Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen.
[Jeanette] [Renewal of Baptismal Promises]
V. Do you reject Satan?
R. I do.
V. And all his works?
R. I do.
V. And all his empty promises?
R. I do.
V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?
R. I do.
V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
R. I do.
V. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
R. I do.
V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
[Jeanette] Now the Surrender Prayer.
Father, In the Name of Jesus, I now place my body, soul, and spirit, and my entire life into your hands. I now ask that You place me into your perfect will for my life. From this moment on, I will choose to stay fully surrendered to You all the days of my life and will allow You to lead and direct my life in the direction that you want it to go. Thank You, Father, thank You, Jesus, Thank You Holy Spirit! Amen.
[Patti] The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, you think, “Well, I’ve already been baptized, why do I need to be baptized in the Spirit? And just as we renew our Baptismal Promises, we also can renew our surrender to the Lord. And so, if you have been Baptised in the Spirit before, if you’ve been prayed for this before but you have drifted. Or, you want to go deeper. Then we are certainly welcome to have the Baptism of the Spirit over, and over, and over! It’s not the sacrament. It’s the surrender. It’s the outpouring of grace from our surrender. So, let’s pray this prayer together. And then I’m going to invite anyone who like—just like Jeanette, she was prayed for, she received a stronger outpouring. So if you have never been prayed for, for the Baptism of the Spirit, we invite you to come up and a couple of us are going to lay hands and pray for you to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit as you surrender. We are going to help you surrender to that fullness tonight. Okay? First, let’s say the prayer together.
[Prayer for Baptism of Holy Spirit]
“Jesus, I know my life is missing something and I want that special place in my heart filled with Your love. I invite You now, Jesus, to come into my heart and be my way home. I reject Satan and all his lies. Jesus, I want You to be the Lord of my life. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead for me and I want to spend eternity with You.”
Now, let’s pray, we ask the Father for fullness of the Gift of the Holy Spirit:
“Father, I have received Jesus as the Lord of my life. I now ask in the name of Jesus that You fill me with a strong outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. You tell me in Your Word that if I ask I will receive, so Father, right now I’m asking, in Jesus’ name. Fill me with the Holy Spirit.”
So I invite you to just close your eyes and lift up your hands, just to hold that fullness of the Spirit, just as a symbol that you are going to ask the Lord for to just fill you up!… Fill you up!…
When you feel you want to come forward, you can come forward.
You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit; I am your host, Patti Brunner. We hope you have enjoyed our Life in the Spirit presentation. And we invite you to check out our website, PatriarchMinistries.com for more information about this Life in the Spirit and all of the other things that Truth of the Spirit has to offer you. And then we invite you to come back next time because there is more. With the Holy Spirit there’s always more! Amen.
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References:[i]
[i] Baptism of the Holy Spirit Scripture (NAB)
Luke 11:9-13. “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Acts 1:8. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 19:1-7 “While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came (down) to Ephesus where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.” He said, “How were you baptized?” They replied, “With the baptism of John.” Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid (his) hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Altogether there were about twelve men.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church #153 “Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth’.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
Romans 12: 2 “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Philippians 4:13 “There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the one who gives me strength”
Colossians 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 “12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you,”
1 John 4:16 “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.”
1 John 4:13 “This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit.”
