John,
I was sitting here, after the meeting, thinking about how good God has been good to me. I thought about what I said tonight – how I was in Christianity, and came to the place of sitting at home and I said, “God there has to be more than this, someone has to have truth.” God had an answer to my heart’s cry.
And I thought about what you said tonight – how that all of us have said at one time, “God there has to be more to life than this” and God rescued us – calling us unto Himself and giving us His Spirit.
I thought about how I had that same cry twice. The first time, I considered that there had to be more to life than what I had – that life of sin. And God gave me the holy Ghost. And I thought about how I was converted, but stuck in Christianity, and said again, “God, there has to be more than THIS.” (the religion I was in).
After I had that thought, the Spirit said to me, “if you didn’t, you’d be like the man with seven spirits”. I remembered that story, and looked it up in Matthew and Luke:
Mat 12:43: When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44: Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45: Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.Luk 11:24: When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
Luk 11:25: And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
Luk 11:26: Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
When the unclean spirit goes out of us (when we get the holy Ghost), later there are other spirits that come back with it, and find us all fixed up – but the ones that return are more wicked. The come in and dwell in the clean temple of God. And if we are stuck in Christianity, really, that state IS worse than the first. It’s a blessing to get that “second cry” for something more.
I’m not sure that is the exact context of Jesus’ story in total, but if you look at it that way, it is the case.
Gary
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From what I have seen, Gary, that children of God who receive the holy ghost and then turn from the path of true holiness to devote themselves to the religious system called Christianity are, it seems, taken over by “seven spirits” worse than the spirits that work among unconverted sinners. Their devotion to that religious system certainly makes it far more difficult for Jesus to reach them than it was when they were just living as sinners in the world.
jdc