1.3. IT IS A POTENTIAL RECEPTION

Acts 2:17 mentions different experiences in the Spirit. "Prophecy" "visions" -"dreams". A list of gifts of the Holy Spirit is given in 1 Corinthians 12:6-11. They are all manifestations of the Spirit. Your children 'drinking at Joel's Place' have great spiritual potential. They have begun to experiment in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their expectation is great. They can be used in the seeing gifts: 'word of wisdom' -'word of knowledge' -'discerning of spirits', also in doing gifts: 'gifts of healings' -'working of miracles' -'gifts of faith'. They can also be used in the speaking gifts: 'prophecy' -'tongues' and 'interpretation of tongues'.

Your children involved in spiritual gifts will not have time or desire to drift away or backslide. I have grown-up children of my own who received the outpouring of the Spirit at a very early age -and they have never looked back to the world and sin, and are still advancing spiritually. The full potential of Spirit-filled lives can be attained by young children -with you, the parents' help and encouragement. You can either dampen their enthusiasm or fan it to a blaze. You can encourage them to "stir up the gift of God within them" (2 Timothy 1:6 ), so that they reach full spiritual potential.

The effect of those upon whom the Spirit is poured out is power to witness for Christ and witnessing to Christ. For Christ, is speaking to others, and to Christ, is others seeing Christ in them. Holy Spirit witnessing power in "sons and daughters" is dynamite -the Holy Spirit is an almighty force. He drove along the Early Church as a devastating force that turned their known world upside-down, more correctly, right side up. Early Christians were "live wires" because they were connected to heaven's dynamo. As long as they kept the contacts clean, they were able to "shock" the world by dazzling demonstrations of signs and wonders.

Your children now have personal experience of that same Almighty Spirit of God. With that kind of power residing in your children, they will need your parental support and wisdom. They will not want for initiative, but they will lack your sophisticated timing. As children they will not lack zeal, but will be wanting in knowledge. I have seen Spirit-filled children equipped with the power of the Spirit, bring revival to their school when adult Spirit-filled advisers have been behind them and covering them. I have also seen zealous empowered children rendered ineffective by untimely zealous acts, and coming up alone against unspiritual staff. As Spirit-filled parents, you can greatly assist and help in directing the effective witnessing of your children.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy (Acts 2:17 ). That can and should transform and bring alive your family devotions. Instead of battling to get and keep your children's attention to Bible reading and prayer, you will now be able to release them -and they will bless you in Holy Spirit prophecy. This will happen more readily when you, as parents, personally experiment in the use of the speaking gifts. The Spirit-filled children will gladly and delightedly follow your example.

When I was quite a small boy, a tired evangelist arrived late one afternoon to stay with us. He was to commence a campaign in our town that night. He told my father: "I am dry and tired and do not have a message to commence these meetings, can we pray together?" All the family present were included in the praying. An anointing of the Holy Spirit came upon me and I began to speak in a language of the Spirit and followed with a line of interpretation: "Go and fetch him." It proved to be a quotation from Samuel, who learning of another son of Jesse, namely David, said: "Go and fetch him". The evangelist got excited. "Praise God," he said, "I have my text for tonight." That campaign resulted in many being fetched and found by Christ and anointed for service. I was about four or five years old.

Parents, your children will greatly bless you in their personal experimentation in gifts of the Holy Spirit. That is if you encourage them and lead by example.