Keeping a Pure Conscience
The core message of the Christian walk, as described in the sources, is an uncompromising pursuit of intimacy with Jesus Christ, leading to a pure conscience and explosive power in ministry. This journey requires radical self-denial, a profound understanding of the believer’s new identity in Christ, and an unwavering commitment to evangelism that transcends personal comfort and the pursuit of human approval.
1. The Foundation: Purity, Conscience, and Intimacy
Spiritual effectiveness begins and ends with the believer’s inner state, specifically the purity of their conscience and their connection to God.
Protecting Innocence and Conscience
A clear conscience is essential for continuous intimacy with God. If the enemy can “get you messed up” internally, this internal conflict “messes up” everything else. Conversely, when the conscience stays pure, “everything is good because now I can access intimacy continuously and it never goes away”. Protecting one’s innocence is synonymous with guarding intimacy.
Preferring God Over Performance
Spiritual power (healing the sick, opening blind eyes) is not the ultimate measure of a believer’s standing; the true test is whether they are “okay” inside. God’s desire is not for performance but for preference: choosing God and the Father’s love over everything else. This love should be the focus, as the ultimate purpose is to be “filled with the fullness of God” by knowing the love of God in Christ Jesus.
2. The Mandate of Discipleship: Falling in Love with Jesus
The Christian life is defined by a lifelong, relational pursuit of Christ, not a single decision or a reliance on human leaders.
Modeling Jesus
Jesus’ command was simple: “follow me”; He did not say to follow anything else. The goal of spiritual discipline is to spend so much time with Jesus that the believer begins to look like Him, because “you become like the one you spend the most time with”.
God Takes the Initiative
First love is not the moment of salvation, but a “lifetime of pursuing him”. However, this pursuit is met by God’s prior initiative: God has been pursuing the believer “way before you’ve been pursuing him”. This realization should lead to a deep sense of security, knowing that God thought of the believer before the foundation of the world.
Abandoning Performance and Dignity
The world operates on a performance-driven technique designed to cultivate the “praise of man”. This worldly attitude must be shed, especially when encountering God. Dignity is “not a fruit of the spirit”. When people are powerfully touched by God, they often don’t want others to see it because they want to “look good in front of people,” which is a mistake.
3. The Centrality of the Finished Work and Righteousness
The power to live purely and walk in the miraculous is contingent upon a full revelation of Christ’s finished work and the gift of righteousness.
Righteousness as Priority
Righteousness is priority. The finished work of Christ means the believer is made right with God, allowing intimacy to remain unbroken. When a believer owns their righteousness and seeks first the kingdom and “his righteousness,” the blessings promised in Deuteronomy (being the head and not the tail, above and not beneath) are rightfully added to their life. These blessings are given not to create a “spoiled brat,” but to empower a “king’s kid” with authority to cast out devils and heal the sick.
The Unconditional Nature of the Gospel
The love that revolutionized the speaker’s life (a former addict who was “hating, angry, bitter”) was demonstrated through a minister who loved him “unadulterated [and] purely” and “never pushed me away”. This act of grace represented Jesus to the speaker.
The truth that God loves unconditionally is so powerful that it overwhelms the believer; God provides “as much of him as you can handle”. The only reason people do not want more of God is that they are “so full of the world”.
4. The Baptism in Fire: Embracing the Supernatural
Spiritual breakthrough and the ability to walk in power are linked to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire, a distinct act of empowerment.
The Fire and the Pickling Process
John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit and fire. This fire is described as “fiery fire” and “lightning”.
Baptism, literally meaning to be “pickled,” signifies that the Holy Spirit takes over the individual, transforming them from a “cucumber” (the old self) into a “pickle” (a new creation). This “pickling with God” often “burns”.
The Result of the Fire: Freedom from the Fear of Man
The baptism of fire has a radical external effect: it eliminates the fear of man. Being “on fire” means being able to go into public or to work and “not care what people think about you”. This attitude is not based on doing “dumb stuff,” but on bringing the King and His Kingdom everywhere one goes and being “all about the father’s business”.
The Supernatural Encounter
The speaker’s own dramatic experience of receiving the baptism of fire was terrifying, involving screaming, physically gripping a chair, and feeling like he was being electrocuted by 220 volts. This intense physical reaction was a response to his deep “hunger” pulling on God, proving that God’s immense fullness causes a reaction when it enters something small. This baptism marked the time when “everything changes”.