Note: The following transcript was taken from Mark Hankins’ teaching “Drinkin’ Lessons.”

Let’s start with Corinthians chapter two. We are going to talk about the Holy Spirit. This is going to be—what I call—a drinking service. That’s right; we are going to do a little drinking tonight!

If somebody would say to you, “Where did you go Thursday night?” Just say, “I went out drinking.” And when they ask you where did you go to drink, just say, “I went to church; went down there to drink.” Then they might say that it is a shame that people are doing that in church, but what they don’t know is that people have been doing that ever since Acts chapter two; they have been drinking in church for two thousand years! In fact, if you ever stop drinking at church, then you will have to drink somewhere else.

Brother Hagin used to teach about faith from the first book of Corinthians, chapter two. He used to say that a move of the Holy Spirit would be lost on this generation…unless we are taught how to recognize it. In other words, he meant that ignorance alone can cause you to miss out on the flow and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

That’s why Paul said in First Corinthians chapter 12; “I would not have you ignorant concerning spiritual gifts.” The Amplified Bible says, “pertaining to and of the Holy Spirit, I would not have you ignorant.” What would Paul not have you be ignorant about? The Holy Spirit…and the things of the Holy Spirit…or how to corporate or yield to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Very Excited
We know from John chapters 14-16 that Jesus said when the Holy Spirit comes, that it would be to your advantage for Me to leave, because when He (Holy Spirit) comes, He will take the things of Mine and He will show them unto you.

This simply means that you cannot be any closer to Jesus than you are to the Holy Spirit. In other words, if you did not need the Holy Spirit—if all you needed was just the Bible, or if all that we needed was Jesus to die and be raised from the dead—then that’s all that would have happened.

But Jesus said not only do you have the Word; not only am I going to die and be raised from the dead, but I am also going to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit! Jesus said He is with you now but in “that day” the Holy Spirit shall be in you!

Not only shall He be in you, but He will also bring you into a close fellowship with the Father and close fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Jesus made it clear when He said that in that day you will know that I am in the Father, you are in Me, and I am in you.

I love the way Smith Wigglesworth describes the job or assignment of the Holy Spirit. He said the Holy Spirit has power over your intellect, power over your voice, and He can magnify Jesus in a way that you never could without His assistance.

The Holy Spirit will magnify Jesus in all that He’s done. Thank God for the Holy Spirit!

Show Business
Jesus said’ without the help of the Holy Spirit that we cannot know Christ the way we should. That’s why Jesus said the Holy Spirit will “take what is Mine and show it to you.”

So, another way to say it is that the Holy Spirit is in the show business! That’s right. Jesus said He (the Holy Spirit) will show you things to come. That means you can get so filled with the Holy Spirit, that He will give you a glimpse of your future, Hallelujah!

I like what Brother Hagin said; he said that if you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and be led by the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit will make you rich. Why? Because the Holy Spirit knows about money; He knows about all things and that’s why He can lead you.

But in order to be led by the Holy Spirit, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit; you need to be yielded to Him and respond when He prompts you.

In John chapters 14-16 Jesus said it this way, He said that the world cannot receive Him. The world cannot receive Him because it does not know Him. In the Amplified it says that the world does not recognize Him. I think that’s amazing because it seems to me that He is not recognized in many churches today.

Therefore, it’s very important for us to recognize the Holy Spirit, to understand the value of being filled with the Holy Spirit and to be influenced by Him.

It is the Holy Spirit that will take you out of theology and bring you into reality. He is the one who will take the death, burial, and the resurrection of Christ and help you translate that into personal victory. Many times people have a lot of different kinds of theologies and a lot of things that they believe Jesus has done for them and yet it is not a reality in their life.

The reason these things are not a reality for some people is because it takes the Holy Spirit to remove it from the realm of theology and bring it directly into your house—into your personal reality!

The Holy Spirit’s Assignment
That’s why you can have victory in your mind, victory in your body, victory in your finances, and victory in your future. Jesus said it is the Holy Spirit’s assignment to do that; thank God for the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!

Yet there are some people who say they don’t want to know about the Holy Spirit; they only want to know about Christ. But Jesus said you can’t know Me appropriately without the assistance of the Holy Spirit…He will take what is Mine and show it to you.

Other translations say He will communicate it. Therefore, if you are a slow learner, the Holy Spirit will help you get it. Hallelujah! He can talk in country, He can talk in blue grass, He can talk in Australian or even Italian. The Holy Ghost can help you get it whether you think you are highly educated or not.

From the moment of being filled with the Holy Spirit and He’ll start talking a language and you’ll see what Christ has done for you as well as who you are in Him!

That’s why you cannot get a sad Holy Ghost. Even the anointing of the Holy Spirit is called the oil of joy! Something as powerful as the anointing that destroys every yoke and lifts every burden is called the oil of joy. Throughout the book of Acts we see that as soon as people were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost. Thank God for the Holy Ghost!

The Holy Spirit Is A Genius
My daddy always said, “The Holy Spirit is a genius.” He said if you’ll listen to the Holy Spirit, He’ll make you look smart! He said we know that you are not that smart, but the Holy Spirit is a genius. Wouldn’t it be terrible to have a genius living on the inside of you and then continue on in your ignorant behavior?

It’s not just the pastors and the evangelists who have the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, because of the blood of Jesus, every believer has the same Spirit (that raised Christ from the dead) dwelling on the inside of them. He lives on the inside of us and He will quicken your mortal body by His Spirit that dwells in you. That means He’s living on the inside of you right now!

Yes, the Holy Spirit is a genius, but He is also a gentleman. As a gentleman, He will not interrupt you. He will not step in or force you to stop talking or acting in a certain way. But the moment you stop and admit to the Holy Spirit that you need some help, He will say “I’ve been waiting for you to come to the end of your ideas and schemes and yield to me.”

When you make room for the Holy Spirit, that’s when you will be filled with His presence.