24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to G.o.d WITH ONE ACCORD, and said, Lord, thou art G.o.d, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is....

31 And when they had prayed, THE PLACE WAS SHAKEN where they were a.s.sembled together; and they were ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and they spake the word of G.o.d with boldness.

For one thing, notice that they were all gathered together in prayer in one accord. I sometimes think we've lost a lot in some of our big meetings where we don't have room for folks to gather around the altar and pray. Of course, not every service needs to be conducted in this fashion. On the other hand, I think we're missing out on some of the "be being filled" with the Spirit by not taking time or having the facilities to pray together in one accord as a church family in some of our church services. It used to be that you'd give an altar call and people would come around the altar and kneel down and pray. With people praying together like that in one accord, everyone got anointed with fresh oil!

Here in Acts 4:31, when the people were all praying in one accord, all the people - every single Christian in that place - was filled up to overflowing in the Holy Spirit with a fresh anointing. Yes, we can all pray separately at home, and we ought to do that. But there's just something about united prayer that brings the power of G.o.d in demonstration in a greater measure.

Chapter 6 Characteristics of Those With a Fresh Anointing

How many of our problems would be solved in the church today if Christians had a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit upon their lives! You see, by not maintaining a constant experience of being filled to overflowing with the Spirit, many times Christians go through problems and face trials in life they wouldn't have to face if they were filled up with the Spirit.That doesn't mean there won't be tests and trials in life. No, the Bible doesn't teach that. Tests and trials come to us all in life. But when you stay filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word of G.o.d, there will be some tests and trials in life that you will never have to experience. Stay in the Presence of G.o.d until you get a fresh anointing!We have seen from the Scriptures that it is G.o.d's will for His people to be filled with the Spirit. That is, Christians are to maintain a constant experience of being filled with the Spirit so they can be full reservoirs instead of empty cisterns.Now let's look at the characteristics of those who are continually "be being filled" with the Spirit. We need to see the results of being anointed with fresh oil and the characteristics of those who maintain a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit in their lives.EPHESIANS 5:18-21.18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be [being] FILLED with the Spirit; 19 SPEAKING to yourselves in psalms and hymns and 18.spiritual songs, SINGING and MAKING MELODY in your heart to the Lord; 20 GIVING THANKS ALWAYS FOR all things unto G.o.d and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 SUBMITTING YOURSELVES one to another in the fear of G.o.d.Supernatural Utterance First, notice verse 19: "Speaking to yourselves.. .." Have you ever noticed in connection with being filled with the Spirit how many times the Bible talks about speaking? ". . . be filled with the Spirit; SPEAKING (vv. 18,19). In other words, the result of being filled with the Spirit is speaking in a supernatural utterance. Let's look at those verses which show us this.ACTS 2:4.4 And they were all FILLED with the Holy Ghost, and began to SPEAK with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.ACTS 10:44-46.44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.45 And they of the circ.u.mcision which believed were astonished ... because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.46 For they heard them SPEAK with tongues, and magnify G.o.d....ACTS 4:31.31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were a.s.sembled together; and they were all FILLED with the Holy Ghost, and they SPAKE the word of G.o.d with boldness.Characteristics of Those With a Fresh Anointing 55.EPHESIANS 5:18,19.18 ... be [being] FILLED with the Spirit; 19 SPEAKING to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs Speaking supernaturally is speaking by the unction of the Holy Spirit. When you get filled with the Holy Spirit, you speak with tongues. And in order to maintain the Spirit-filled life you ought to keep on speaking in tongues. You can also speak supernaturally in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs by the unction of the Spirit. We will see this as we study Ephesians 5:18 and 19. And we see here that the disciples spoke the Word of G.o.d with boldness; we will see that speaking the Word of G.o.d with boldness is a result of being filled with the Spirit. All of these are examples of supernatural speaking; that is, speaking by the unction and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.Now let's look at Ephesians 5:18-21 again to see the other characteristics of one who is filled with the Spirit. Notice particularly the words: Speaking, singing, giving thanks, and submitting.EPHESIANS 5:18-21.18 ... be [being] FILLED with the Spirit; 19 SPEAKING to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, SINGING and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 GIVING THANKS always for all things unto G.o.d and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 SUBMITTING yourselves one to another in the fear of G.o.d.We've seen that a characteristic of one who stays filled with the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. We can also see by Ephesians 5:19 that to maintain a fresh anointing upon your life, you can speak to yourself in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs which also come by supernatural utterance. If you are filled up to overflowing with the Spirit - if you maintain a fresh anointing of G.o.d upon your life - you will also continually be giving thanks unto G.o.d, and you will have a humble and submissive spirit or att.i.tude toward others.Singing When the Bible talks about psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, it's not referring to singing songs out of a songbook. It is talking about a supernatural utterance given by the spirit of prophecy. Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit at the spur of the moment; they are not learned or rehea.r.s.ed.We remember that prophecy is inspired utterance in a known tongue, and that the simple gift of prophecy is given "to speak to men unto edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3). The Bible says, "For ye may all prophesy..." (1 Cor. 14:31). The simple gift of prophecy is not to be confused with the ministry of a prophet. We know that every Christian can be filled with the Spirit and prophesy, but not all Christians are called to stand in the office of the prophet. But because every member of the Body of Christ can prophesy, any member of the Body of Christ can speak or sing in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs because they are given by the Holy Spirit through the spirit of prophecy.Remember also the Bible says, "... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34). Whatever is in your heart is going to come out of your mouth. If you've got a song in your heart, it's going to come out. If it's not coming out of your mouth, it's just not in your heart. But if you're filled with the Spirit, you've got a song in your heart, and it will eventually come out of your mouth!Now let's look again at Ephesians 5:18,19, and its companion verse, Colossians 3:16 to understand more about speaking or singing in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.EPHESIANS 5:18,19.18 ... be [being] filled with the Spirit; 19 SPEAKING TO YOURSELVES in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart TO THE LORD.There are two things I want you to notice in this verse. First, in verses 18 and 19 the Bible is talking about speaking in psalms and hymns in your own private life at home. It says, "Speaking to yourselves . . . [and] to the Lord." As we said, these are songs that the Holy Ghost gives you by the inspiration of the Spirit, not necessarily those you get out of a songbook. A psalm is a spiritual poem or an ode. You speak or sing these psalms and spiritual songs to yourself, to edify and build yourself up.The companion scripture to this verse, Colossians 3:16, gives us some further instruction on speaking in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.COLOSSIANS 3:16.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing ONE ANOTHER in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.We've already looked at this verse in relation to being filled with the Word of G.o.d: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom...." But there's something else I want you to notice about this verse.Here in Colossians 3:16, the Bible is talking about teaching and admonishing one another. Notice that we are also to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We are to minister to one another, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.That means if you didn't know what the psalm or hymn is instructing - then it's teaching you; you're being taught what is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. If you did know it, then the psalm, hymn, or spiritual song is admonishing you. However, we won't be able to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs unless the word of Christ dwells in us richly in all wisdom!According to Colossians 3:16 then, there are some psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that are to be spoken or sung to one another. And yet, on the other hand, the Bible says in Ephesians 5:19 there are some psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that we are to speak to ourselves, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. Therefore, there are some songs, hymns, and spiritual songs we are to sing to one another, and there are some we are to sing to ourselves and unto the Lord.Colossians 3:17 sheds more light on this for us.COLOSSIANS 3:17.17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to G.o.d and the Father by him.Whether we speak or sing in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in our own private devotions to build ourselves up and to sing unto the Lord, or whether we speak or sing them to teach and admonish one another in the public a.s.sembly - let everything be done as unto the Lord to glorify His Name.Sometimes I just speak in psalms because I'm not a singer; otherwise, I would sing the psalms the Holy Spirit gives me. But since I don't sing, I just recite the psalm or the hymn that comes by the inspiration of the Spirit. The Bible says to speak to yourself in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs and to have a song in your heart to the Lord. I sometimes wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning, and just spend an hour or two speaking to myself in psalms. We're all encouraged to do that.Don't Stop at the Door to the Supernatural!So many times folks have just stopped at the door to the supernatural. They got filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke with other tongues. Thank G.o.d for that. But there is more to the supernatural power of G.o.d than that. If you were initially filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, then continue to speak supernaturally - both in tongues and in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And stay filled with the Word of G.o.d so you can speak it forth boldly.Staying full of the Word and full of the Spirit is how we constantly maintain a fresh anointing in our lives. We need to stay in G.o.d's Presence until we get a fresh anointing. We need to follow G.o.d's New Testament pattern so we can be full reservoirs to His glory.So let's continue to speak with other tongues and to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord. And let's continue to teach and admonish one another because the Word of Christ dwells in us richly in all wisdom.When was the last time you spoke in a psalm given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? Maybe you've said, "I've heard other Christians speak in psalms, and I've prayed that the Lord would give that ability to me.'' Or maybe you've thought that speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs belongs to just a few Christians and that not every Christian has the ability to speak in psalms. But, no, as we've seen speaking by the unction of the Spirit belongs to every single Christian because the Bible said, "Ye may all prophesy." And speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is exercising the simple gift of prophecy.G.o.d is still anointing His people to prophesy! I'm not talking about standing in the office of the prophet. I'm talking about the simple gift of prophecy. The Bible says the simple gift of prophecy is to speak to men unto edification, exhortation, and comfort, and that we may all prophesy: "... ye may all prophesy one by one..." (1 Cor. 14:31).But, you see, even the simple gift of prophecy must be exercised under the anointing. So much of the time people don't prophesy under the anointing; they work up something in the flesh. No, they need to wait for the anointing to prophesy. They need to be anointed with fresh oil!Therefore, if you're full of the Holy Spirit - if you're anointed with fresh oil - you can speak to yourself and to the Lord in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs whenever you desire. If it weren't possible to do so, the Bible wouldn't encourage us to do it! We all need to be anointed with the fresh oil that speaking with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs brings.We're to speak to whom? To yourself and to the Lord! Whether you are by yourself or with someone else, stay in G.o.d's Presence long enough to be filled with a fresh anointing, speaking in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in your heart to the Lord. Then you will be filled to overflowing with the Spirit of G.o.d and you can teach and admonish one another.The anointing to speak in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs will come up inside of you. The Holy Spirit is in you, and the anointing of G.o.d is in you too. Sometimes the anointing will come upon you; sometimes it will rise up within you. It works in different ways with different people, but it is still the same anointing. When that anointing comes upon you or rises up within you, the words will just come rolling out of your mouth and you will speak words unto G.o.d you never thought of speaking before. There will be a certain amount of rhyme to them because a psalm is a spiritual poem or ode. It may rhyme or it may not, but there is an element of poetry to it.When I get started speaking in that realm, psalms just keep flowing out of me. I have spoken nearly all night long just to myself in psalms. Here are two of the psalms the Holy Spirit has given me.Praising the Lord I will praise the Lord at all times; I am not moved by what I see. When the way seems dark, when there seems no way, I stand my ground and praise Him; Because He seeth the way that I go and I walk in His path, and I'll do that which is pleasing in His sight.And the storms of life may come, and the thunder may roll and the lightning may flash, but as I walk, I know that victory is mine at last!Because, you see, He came from heaven long ago, and He is the Champion sent by the Father G.o.d to the earth below, and He elevates mankind into the place where they know - Know their place in Him! Know the reality of His blessings and truth. And so the enemy cannot gainsay them. And they'll praise G.o.d day and night.Victory Victory is not in places or things. Victory is not in what I can see or feel. Victory is in Him - Christ the Champion from heaven.