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SOME PASTORS have, over the past decades, been commanding the Holy Spirit during ministrations. They command the Holy Spirit who is God to perform certain tasks for them.
Years ago, I heard a popular US-based televangelist, who has ministered for more than 30 years, teaching that Christians have the right to command God to do things for them.
This pastor’s teaching might have influenced some pastors in Ghana and elsewhere to command the Holy Spirit as if He is their messenger.
The erring pastor and his students might have been influenced by a verse in the book of Isaiah of the King James Version of the Bible. It reads:
“Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands COMMAND YE ME” (Isaiah 45:11).
The pastors failed to see an erroneous punctuation in the verse above. The appropriate punctuation at the end of the verse should have been a “question mark”, and not a “full stop” or “period.”
Thus, the correct verse should read: “Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: Ask me things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?”
The failure to use the right punctuation is a mistake made by the translators of the KJV. However, this mistake is not found in the other versions of the Bible. A research would have helped the erring pastors.
Isaiah did not command God and he could not have asked other children of God to command Him concerning things they might need. Servants do not command Masters; it is the other way round.
So none of the Apostles of Christ ever commanded God or the Holy Spirit. Rather, they gave Him honour in all their ministrations. They obeyed and respected the Spirit as the Authority and Supreme Builder of the Church.
Thus, in Acts 5:3, Peter said, “Ananians, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit….?” In verse 9, Peter again said to Sapphira, Ananians wife, “How is that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?
Moreover, in Acts 8:29, the Bible says, “And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join his chariot. So Philip ran to him…”
Also, in Acts 10:19, it is written, “And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Rise and go down to the men…”
Then, in Acts 13:2, it is written: “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul…” In verse 4, it continues, “So being sent out by the Holy Spirit…”
The passages of Scripture above show us how the early ministers respected the authority of the Holy Spirit as the Supreme Builder of the Church. Knowing publishwho He was they never attempted to command Him but obey His commands.
By James Quansah
