Spirit on All Flesh

By John Crowder

Here is a common question we often receive in reference to the finished work of the cross: is there a "second work" of the baptism of the Spirit? The answer forces the idea that some Christians could have the Spirit while others do not. But for those who are realizing that our union with God is finished thanks to the work of Christ, the question of a secondary baptism or “infilling” of the Spirit is a puzzling one.
 
Furthermore, another question next arises as to whether or not one can get more of Holy Spirit. Does He progressively come in degrees? If you had something to do with obtaining God in the first place, then the impetus would logically be forever upon you to capture more of Him. The idea of whether one can get more of God is prevalent throughout every denomination, whether or not it is explicitly stated in each camp’s doctrine. I will argue that any human attempt to get God is the very definition of religion itself and is the chief enemy of the Gospel (the Gospel is not to be confused with “religion” which is outright divination: religion is any humanistic endeavor to climb toward God – a practice that is invalidated by the Gospel, wherein Christ has stepped down and given us all of Himself). The answer to this question of “do we get more of the Spirit,” I will argue, depends upon the causative force behind the Spirit’s advent (Does He come due to our humanistic efforts, or because of Christ alone?).
 
And finally, undoubtedly the most scandalous question of all (which few dare to ask): is it possible that the Spirit of God really was poured out on all flesh? The concept that all of humanity has been somehow mystically endowed with God’s Spirit is a sharp challenge to the theological grid of most Christians. Many will stop reading the article right here. It’s too foreign a concept for them. The majority of Christendom has viewed the Gospel transactionally – whereas one enters the club and “gets God” only upon conversion after saying a magic prayer, drumming up enough faith or collecting enough repentance points to merit a visit from the Paraclete. They have compartmentalized and partitioned God off to the elect. They cling to precious proof texted verses that suggest the Spirit is only for Christians, while ignoring a plethora of other scriptures.
 
I will address all three questions in this article:
Does the Spirit come as a second work?
Can you get more of the Spirit?
How could the Spirit possibly be upon all humanity?
 
But pulling back the lens a bit, it all becomes quite clear and simple when we drop our non-Christocentric understanding of Holy Spirit and turn our eyes back to the person and work of Jesus (to whom Holy Spirit is constantly pointing you). All men were vicariously included in the humanity of the Last Adam. In His incarnation, the human race was fully plunged into the divine. Christ did not merely die as a man, but as humanity. Because of your mystical union with Christ, God in all His completeness has made full residency in you. Whether you know it or not. Whether you feel it or not. Whether you even believe it or not. Belief is not the magic formula that makes it happen. The facts are the facts, whether you believe them or not.
 
But an inclusive statement like that radically challenges our notions of “who” is actually united to Christ and therefore the recipients of His Spirit.
 
A Second or Third Work?
 
Let’s slow this back down to our first question: does Holy Spirit come as a “second work” after conversion (and of course, by this reasoning, coming only upon certain Christians)? This is an important topic, because many people feel insecure, condemned or lacking as if they do not have the Spirit or do not have "enough" of the Spirit. Indeed, many feel like second class Christians. Of course, their feelings do not dictate the facts. But a lot of needless confusion in this arena has led believers to feel incomplete and unaware of the vast treasures deposited within them.
 
Wesleyan and early Pentecostals broke the Godhead into different parts that came at different times (the second blessing, etc.), but the church never did that historically. Today, the common idea of baptism of the Spirit is where the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. But rest assured the Trinity travels in a pack. It is ridiculous to think you get Jesus one day, then if you grunt enough you can get Holy Spirit … and if you’re a really good boy, you might eventually get a visit from your Father as well.
 
Maybe you felt condemned by some Pentecostal preacher who told you that unless you babble in tongues, the Spirit of God doesn’t dwell within you. There is an unfortunate lack of pneumatology in the church (a theology of Holy Spirit). So allow me to give you a quick history lesson.
 
Wesleyans (early Methodists) during the holiness movement suggested that after conversion, there was a second work called sanctification in which a Christian experienced God in such a way in which they no longer sinned. Sanctification was rightly considered a “gift,” but it was considered separate from initial conversion. By the time Pentecostalism began at the turn of the 20th century, folks were itching for yet another experience – and thus was popularized the idea of a “third work” which they deemed the baptism or infilling of the Holy Spirit. Again, separate from conversion.
 
Of course this was still not enough for some Pentecostals. There even emerged a branch called the Fire Baptized Holiness Church that advocated for seven baptisms! They made up different ones like the baptism of fire, dynamite, lyddite, chrysolite, oxidite, etc. (their imagination eventually dwindled down to naming the baptisms after minerals).
 
What is Baptizmo?
 
A lot of our confusion over this topic of a second or third blessing has to do with misunderstanding the word "baptism" itself - which was simply Greek for immersion, flooding or dunking. During the times of the earliest translations of the English Bible, there was much controversy surrounding the radical reformation, which largely included the Anabaptists. Full-immersion baptism was main the pet doctrine of the Anabaptists (ahem … their name means re-baptism. They were clearly into full body dunking. They said your sprinkling as an infant didn’t count. But that’s another topic we don’t have time for today).
 
The problem is, not all Anabaptists were nice. Many of them burned and pillaged churches and convents, raped nuns – the list goes on. In order to avoid controversy by associating with the Anabaptists, English Bible translators decided not to use the word “dunk” for the Greek word baptizmo. Rather than translate "dunk" ... instead they just left the Greek word "baptizmo" untranslated. Voila! A new word is introduced to the English language. So instead of John the Dunker, we get John the Baptist.
 
So the "baptism" of the Spirit is not a separate thing where first you only had Jesus, and now you get the Spirit. It just means to get dunked, immersed or have your senses tangibly "filled" or flooded with the Spirit Whom you had all along. After all, He is the "Spirit of Jesus." You were never without Him. You don’t get the Spirit in this baptism experience – rather baptism is being experientially flooded by the one who was already within! The balloon expands and blows up, but it’s all from the inside out.
 
Inpouring vs. Outpouring
 
We were looking for an inpouring but what He gave us was an outpouring – that out of our bellies would flow rivers of living water!
 
God is not "out there" and baptism was not Him "coming in." No more than Jesus was magically “jumping inside you” at conversion. Baptism is about drinking from the well that is already in you. Flooding you from that inner spring - from the inside out. Of course I am not invalidating anyone’s experience here. If at some point you felt the tangible “splat” of God and fell over on the floor (perhaps even some time after becoming a Christian), well that’s great! So did I. I am very pro-experience, and we see countless miracles, healings and even unusual signs and wonders. For decades I have been an avid proponent for spiritual gifts, etc. Therefore, I am not negating your experience of “being baptized” in the Spirit. I am just offering a better, Christ-centered theological perspective on what happened. The Spirit didn’t “enter” you – it was merely the first time you gave over your senses to Him. The Greek biblical word for “trance” is ekstasis (lit. “standing outside yourself”), wherein the mind, will, emotions and physical body get veritably “hijacked” by a lucid sense of God’s presence that – for anyone who has experienced it – is more real and solid than the world around them.
 
But these experiences: trances, encounters – whatever you want to call them (filling, baptism, slain in the Spirit, etc.) have nothing to do with an external God moving inward. He was never separate from you. These interactions all have to do with coming into an awareness by faith of the God who was always here, holding together the very fabric of your being. Whether we call it baptism, filling, immersion, drinking, soaking, trances, ecstasies, rapture, contemplation or whatever – it is all terminology related to the rivers of living water gushing from our inmost being to deluge your mind, will, emotions and physical senses. In addition, as we give ourselves over to Holy Spirit, we are likewise empowered.
 
You have the Fullness
 
The biblical term “trance” freaks out a lot of evangelicals and charismatics alike, but charismatics in particular experience them all the time under different terminology. Spirit baptism is the exact same experience as a trance (Acts 10:10, Acts 22:17, Rev. 1:10). John G. Lake explains a trance this way, “Now what is a trance? A trance is the Spirit taking predominance over the mind and body, and for the time being the control of the individual is by the Spirit; but our ignorance of the operations of God is such that even ministers of religion have been known to say it is the devil.” Parenthetically, the Spirit does not always toss our mind and senses out the window. Often He sharpens them!
 
But often we have wrongly confused our first ecstatic experience with Spirit touching us (falling over, etc.) as being the first time we obtained the Spirit. No it was just the first lucid experience of the One you already had thanks to Christ. The day you got "baptized in the Spirit" because you fell over and talked in tongues was not really the day Holy Spirit first entered you. It was the day you first woke up to the one Who’s been here all along, and you just started actively drinking of His fountain of bliss
 
Colossians 2:10 says, "By your union with Christ you are filled with the Godhead." That means you already have the Spirit ... you even have the Father in you too! So "infilling" is not a second work or a third work. You are full of the Godhead and it is not your fault. You could not fit one more drop of God inside of you. It is all thanks to your union with Christ – you are full of God and it is not your fault.
 
On the one hand, charismatics rightly validate spiritual gifts and Holy Spirit experience. However, their stream is plagued with what I call “charismatic voo doo” – an attempt to get more of the Spirit. This is the Galatian bewitchment of turning to rules and regulations to try and get more of what they already have (through prayer, fasting, programs, etc.). Holy Spirit does not come in portions; He comes in person. He is not the force from Star Wars. He is a person of the Godhead. And you have Him. Please just call yourself a Buddhist and stop confusing everyone by calling yourself a Christian if you still think of God as the force who comes progressively in higher degrees.
 
I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? (Gal. 3:2)
 
What had the Galatians heard? The good news that they had it all thanks to Jesus! Instead of trying to get what we don’t have, what if we realized we already have it and start to enjoy it? It is our very attempt to reaccomplish what Christ has done by procuring His Spirit all over again that blinds us to the fact He is already here.
 
How arrogant to think we could get the Holy Spirit of God into someone! Only the life, death and resurrection of Jesus was capable of pulling that off. In fact, we are united to His presence thanks to His very being in the incarnation. As the God-Man, He exists in His very person as our union with Him. This is the very mystery of the Gospel!
 
Be Continually Filled
 
In terms of permanent residence, we have the Spirit thanks to our union with Christ. In the sense of fillings, floodings, baptisms or trances – whatever you want to call them – this experiential “drinking” of the Spirit is not a one, two, three or seven-time work. It is a lifestyle!
 
Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18, ISV)
 
The Christian life is about a continual enjoyment – a daily dunking – a relationship! We are called to a lifestyle of experiencing the One we already have. It is an abiding relationship - He remains in you. Those early Pentecostals were right in itching for more experience. Our desire for experience is not the horrible evil of which evangelicals accuse their charismatic brothers. That thirst for pleasure just cannot be divorced from its true source: Christ and His finished work – for only there is it slated and fulfilled. The early Pentecostals just did not have the reformed foundation to realize the full and complete habitation that was already theirs to be continually enjoyed.
 
Today, many Pentecostals fall over once, start tongue talking and then figure, "Well, now I've got the Spirit and can move on." Do everyone a favor and stay on the floor! Often, they jump right back up, straighten their tie and carry on with a fleshly religious existence of striving. Holy Spirit is not something you get in a once off transaction. He's a Person you are called into continual relation with to drink in, breathe in and enjoy.
 
Moreover, other charismatics misconstrue the concept of continual filling to think we are progressively getting more of God. But the subjective experience of filling is all rooted in the objective reality that we already have His fullness! I’m continually drinking from a bottomless barrel that is already mine. I lack nothing. Otherwise, if it is up to you to “press in” for God’s fullness, how long is that going to take you? We end up reversing the formula and negating the gospel if we get this “filling” principle backward. We are drinking from a union we have. Not getting “closer” to a God to Whom we are already fully united.
 
Our entire question of “do you have the Spirit” is a radically misdirected one from the start. It is an unevangelized question. The question should be, “Are we drinking from the Spirit we already have thanks to Christ?” Lest we forget He has always been here. We should not be chasing “more” of something we don’t already have. Instead, we should be feasting “more” on the One we do already have in His entirety. This continual infilling is what is meant by the practice of the presence of God. Not that you are acquiring Him, but are learning to flow in an awareness of Him, wherein we learn to walk in the Spirit by grace.
 
What About Impartation?
 
Let us also address the principle of impartation. Anyone familiar with impartation knows it is very real. Just do not get mixed up into thinking you first "got" the Spirit in the laying on of hands. Yes, He did smack you in that experience! But when someone prays for impartation, they are not giving you something you don't already have. Impartation is about a stirring up and activation of something that is already within and available to you. We all have the fullness, but we are also an interdependent body. We leak onto one another! So when we pray for one another, we can stir up things and awaken gifts, etc. to manifest. The guys Paul chatted to in Acts 19 had believed in Jesus but said, "We didn't know there was a Holy Spirit?" When He laid hands on them, they received impartation from Paul; yet that impartation was merely stirring up by faith something that was already objectively latent within them. They just didn’t know.
 
I firmly believe in the laying on of hands and practice it regularly. You see the concept of a tangible transferable anointing throughout scripture: Moses laying his hands on Joshua; Isaac touching Jacob; Paul laying hands on new converts; Jesus blowing on His disciples. There was even a tangible transferable glory on inanimate objects like handkerchiefs and napkins that touched Paul's body that were used to heal the sick. Elisha's dead bones still had such a presence of God on them that another man was raised from the dead when he touched them. There is healing on the hem of Jesus's robe.
 
What are often referred to as mantles or anointings - these are areas where someone may be activated in faith for some particular divine function or gift – as the early church fathers called it, the “energies of God” may literally transfer to activate someone, helping them to operate in that which you are already moving in. It's not magic but it is mystical.
 
Incidentally, impartation involves more than just laying hands on someone. As we rub shoulders, spend time or walk with someone (better yet – sit under their teaching or leadership) there is a transferrable anointing or empowerment that may get subjectively activated. The anointing is a term associated more with the operation or the “how” regarding Holy Spirit’s flowing/functioning through us (i.e. if I operate in divine healing and you do not, that does not mean I “have” something you lack. I am just operating in something we can all access. And by impartation, you are enabled also to walk in it). But the moment we elevate someone to a pedestal as possessing something we are spiritually missing, we have forgotten the gospel. Impartation is more of assisting someone to access the loaded bank account they already have. But our theological grid for impartation must be grounded foremost in identity, knowing we already possess a full inheritance in Christ – even if we haven’t seen it manifest yet.
 
Sometimes I see people attempting to theologically bridge a distinction between Holy Spirit “dwelling within” versus the Spirit “coming upon” someone (improperly separating the two terms). Scripture does use both sets of terminology. But I find it futile to parse out this difference too much in a way that often leads to wrong conclusions that distract from a Christological focus. You cannot think in terms of space and geography (or even time) when you are discussing the Spirit of God. These are human language issues we are dealing with here. There are so many Pentecostal formulas in this arena that it gets rather mind-numbing (such as, “Well you have God within, but you still need Him to come upon you”). If the conclusion you draw lands the focus back into your own lap to somehow “generate” the Holy Ghost or make him appear, chances are the focus has shifted away from Jesus.
 
I simply view the “coming upon” verses as being outward, subjective experiences of the One who already “dwells within.” Not God floating down from the sky. Nevertheless, I do not want to mock that imagery too much – after all we see Holy Spirit descend as dove upon the Christ. The imagery of God “coming down” helps us to remember He does not originate with us. We came from Him, not the other way around. Nevertheless, the Glory of the Gospel is that He has planted Himself within us, abiding and making His abode with us as living temples. And now, as David prophesied, we are “olive trees in the house of our God” (Psalm 52:8) – sources of the anointing oil itself.
 
Do All Have the Spirit of Christ?
 
Unfortunately, we have divorced our Calvary from our Pentecost. Since the Trinity is inseparable, we get the full package in one. But this begs the question of “Who gets the Trinity?” The Gospel is not inviting Jesus into your life. It is the good news that He already included you into His life from the foundation of the world, before you ever voted on the matter. If you really even want to get technical, since Christ died for all humanity, even unbelievers have Him in a hidden way. As Paul told the pagans on Mars Hill in Acts 17:22, "In Him we live and move and have our being. Even as your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring.'" Or consider when Jesus was speaking before the cross (and before Pentecost), in Luke 17, when He told his hearers that they already had the whole Kingdom inside of them! It was already there, in a hidden way - even though none of them were aware or continually accessing it by faith as New Covenant believers. That’s right … Jesus told complete unbelievers that the Kingdom was within them.
 
When the scriptures tell us that His Spirit was poured out on all flesh, I am convinced that it really means all flesh. The fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy in Acts 2 was an outward manifestation of something that has always been mystically true from God’s perspective. No one had ever really been without the Spirit of God. So let us stop compartmentalizing and thinking spatially: I'm over here; God's over there. The Spirit is not limited to time and space. Let us not even think in terms of "when" the Spirit came. Pentecost was the full bore manifestation of this wine that was poured out from the foundation of the world.
 
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, you are there (Psalm 139:7-8).
 
We are talking about “Him who fills everything in every way” (Eph. 1:23). Separation was always the delusion of sin, but it was never a reality. Like Adam, we were hiding in the bushes from a God who is everywhere. His presence upholds the very existence of the cosmos. It is not just that God Himself is bound up in the incarnation, but that in the incarnation he bound the very cosmos to Himself! There is no bush you can hide under that is not blazing with the glory of God. Heaven and earth are full of His glory.
 
For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Col. 1:16-17).
 
Faith is Awakening
 
What this means is that Episcopals have the Spirit of God. Democrats have the Spirit of God. So do homosexuals and satanic rock bands. Every unbeliever, including Adolph Hitler and the entire staff of the IRS has the Spirit of God. Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump, the KKK, the Black Panthers and Pee Wee Herman. Holy Spirit is brooding over the face of humanity, awakening them to the truth of their real identity in Christ. Awakening them to their inclusion in the life of the Trinity. Faith is not the magic formula that gets you into God. It is awakening to the facts. The fact that if one died for all, all have already died (2 Cor. 5:14). All of humanity has been objectively forgiven, separated from sin and resurrected in the Last Adam.
 
Does that mean they know it? Does that mean they are living like it? Of course not! In fact, they are still free to reject their inclusion and have hell if they want it. We are free to live according to the delusion of sin. But God did not just pour His Spirit out on the good boys and girls. For those who reject His presence, they are rejecting the very consuming fire of love that was intended for their good, yet becomes the very tortuous fires of coal on their head … because the nature of hell is trying to escape the inescapable love of God.
 
Of course without faith (trust) we are not going to be manifesting and rightly experiencing God’s presence. But He is there nonetheless, brooding over all of humanity – pointing them to Jesus. Holy Spirit is not skiddishly fluttering away from sinners so that they don’t contaminate Him. Unfortunately, most people don’t believe. But how can they believe if they have not heard? And even worse – the message they do hear is usually incorrect. It is a message of “believe to get included,” rather than “believe that you are included.”
 
No Separation from His Presence
 
I have written clearly and extensively in my book Cosmos Reborn that I am not a universalist. I am not erasing hell. But I do have a hope for the salvation of all men. Even God has this hope. Scripture says in 2 Pet. 3:9, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” And again in 2 Tim. 2:4, “(God) wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
 
To have hope is not to write off every verse on hell. Although I can say I am not a universalist until I am blue in the face, but people will still paint you into a box because they do not have a proper understanding of the atonement. Unless you are a die-hard hyper Calvinist, most Christians realize that the work of the cross was for everybody. Just as all of humanity was included in the fall of the first Adam, so was every human being included in the work of the Last Adam.
 
In Romans 5, Paul says, “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous.”
 
And again, in 1 Cor. 15:22, Paul says, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
 
Now you can call Paul a liar, or you can disbelieve him. Or you can wrongly think this invalidates every verse about “judgment” (a loaded and misunderstood word). But me, I am not drawing any dogmatic conclusions except to say that every last human being was included in the vicarious life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In fact, very many mainline denominations already believe in a universal atonement, which means every human being was included in Christ’s saving work. They just differ on how it all works out and the role of faith.
 
But we cannot write off the fact that outsiders have been made insiders, before they even realized it. The issue is that everyone is included in Him, if even only in a hidden way. There is no such thing as being “outside of God.” And this truth must carry over into our pneumatology if we are to know anything about the nature of Holy Spirit. There is no separation from God’s Spirit. The Bible, except for one mistranslated verse in the King James, never even once says that hell is separation from God! In Revelation 14:10, we see that those who are tormented are still “in the presence of the Lamb and His holy angels.” No separation. It is the very fiery presence of God itself that the reprobate hate because they cannot escape His love. It is love that torments them, for their refusal to accept it! They want the rocks to fall upon them and hide them from His presence. The same fire lights up heaven and hell – it is the fire of His love. Even His wrath is a hot extension of His love!
 
But Only Christians Have the Spirit? 
 
John 14:20 says, “In that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” There was no point that Jesus was not in the Father. And there was no point that you were not in Jesus. The issue is that most have not yet “realized” it by faith. This is what conversion is: a realization. And this union is exactly what Jesus came to both accomplish and reveal. To wake us up to the truth.
 
The biggest hurdle people have in terms of pneumatology is this: they say, “But John, doesn’t scripture tell us that only Christians have the Holy Spirit?” Keep in mind that the word Pharisee means “separatist.” So be careful of your motive in raising these questions. Do we simply want to affirm that we are different from everyone else? The only difference between you and the heathen is not that God loves or favors you more. The only difference between a believer and non-believer is that the believer believes. And therefore as believers, we begin to walk according to reality and experience the benefits.
 
So let us look at the scripture …
 
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12).
 
So does this indicate some people do not have the Son? Well not so fast. The word “have” is the Greek word echo. It literally means to “resonate with” (much like the English word “echo” today). The verse literally means some people are not actively participating and resonating with the salvation He has already freely poured out on them. Francois Du Toit’s Mirror Bible paraphrases the verse this way:
 
To mirror-echo the Son is to mirror-echo life; those who ignore this inner resonance concerning the Son, miss out on the very life of their design!
 
But specifically concerning “not having” Holy Spirit, many often point to the following:
 
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9).
 
For starters, this is not to be lifted out of context and turned into a proof that some people do not belong to God. In the context here, Paul is addressing believers - not making a statement about unbelievers. He is warning disobedient believers who are refusing to submit to the Holy Spirit in their lives. He is essentially telling them, "You say that the Spirit of God lives in you, and you are right. However, your life should be reflecting the Spirit of Christ!" As he says later in verse 12, "We have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature."
 
Nevertheless, the bottom line is we are again dealing with the word echo when we speak of the “having” the Holy Spirit in this verse. So let us look once more at the Mirror Bible for a better perspective here on Romans 8:9:
 
But you are not ruled by a flesh-consciousness (law of works), but by a Spirit-consciousness (faith); God’s Spirit is at home in you. Anyone who does not see himself full clothed and identified in the Spirit of Christ cannot be himself.
 
Again, having the Spirit here refers to echoing: identifying with, resonating with or walking with the Spirit who is already fully present. And in terms of “belonging to Christ” (i.e. “they do not belong to Christ”), the Greek word is hauto, which likewise relates to “identifying” with the truth. Sadly, many do not identify with Christ.
 
Humanity is in an identity crisis. It is not your job to pull the Holy Spirit down from heaven and get Him into people. He has already been there, behind the scenes, working on every soul that you meet, like a mother hen over her eggs, trying to awaken people to a union and a reconciliation that Jesus Christ has already accomplished for them. This changes how we see humanity. People are confused by so many lies and outright demonic influences. Our job is not to get them included. It is to awaken them with the good news that they are already included, so that they repent (change their minds). And yes, outward actions begin to change as well as they begin to actively respond and live and resonate with the Spirit who has been there all along inviting them into an active relationship.
 
Do not just view the world through the dualistic lens of insiders and outsiders. Do not view people as potential hell fodder. Know they are members of the family who just do not realize it yet. You may actually find yourselves really falling in love with people all over again - preaching not just a potential Gospel, but solid good news that humanity wants to hear: a humanity that feels alienated and separated from a God who has already drawn near. Closer than the air they breathe. The Kingdom is right here, at hand.
 
And do not divorce the person of Christ from the operations of Holy Spirit. In His hypostatic union as the God-Man, His divinity and your humanity have forever been united. For Him to remove His Spirit from you, he would have to reverse the incarnation itself. In Him, the cosmos has been rewired: heaven and earth are completely united.