© Copyright 2014 by Sergio Scataglini

All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Cover Design by Miqueas Scataglini

Edited by Steve Swihart

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Scataglini, Sergio, 1957–

The fire of His holiness / Sergio Scataglini.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-8307-2378-1 (trade)

1. Christian life—Assemblies of God authors. 2. Holiness—Christianity.

3. Scataglini, Sergio, 1957– . I. Title.

BV4510.2.S2813 1999

289.9'4'092

[B]—DC21

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 / 05 04 03 02 01 00 99

Published by Worldwide Publishing Group

Printed in U.S.A.

EBook 978-1-312-10918-6

Softcover 978-1-312-10910-0

Hardcover 978-1-312-10916-2

E-Book Distribution: XinXii
www.xinxii.com

To obtain the rights for publishing this book in other languages, please contact the author, Sergio Scataglini through the website: www.scataglini.com or by writing to info@scataglini.com

2

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

sensed waves of the Holy Spirit flowing over my life those first two days that I was under this fire of the Lord. But my mind was not transformed until the third day. That day, everything changed. I woke up and there was a sadness in my room. The same beautiful presence of God that was loving me and hugging me the day before was now rejecting me and coming too strong. God’s presence seemed dangerously close to me.

That morning, the holiness of God was so close and so strong in my room that I became very scared and I began to back up. I backed up until my back touched the wall. Then I thought, What am I doing? This is a spiritual presence of the Lord. I cannot hide from it. I began to pray, “Please Lord, no more.” It was the first time I had ever prayed in such a way. I was so scared I said, “Lord, I don’t think I can take any more. You are too holy.”

Sometimes when we are at a distance from Jesus Christ, we become comfortable with our lifestyle. But when Jesus gets very close to us, we become uncomfortable. Maybe even as you read this book, you may become uncomfortable. You may think, What is happening to me? Reader, let me assure you that the holiness of the Lord can descend upon you. His presence and fire is real. When He gets close to His people, something changes dramatically. We cannot enter the holy place of God without being transformed.

So I said, “Lord, what is it? I know there is something wrong. Please have mercy on me. Don’t kill me here.” But God did not answer me then.

That afternoon I went for a walk around my in-laws’ property. As I was walking down a gravel path, the power of God came over me very suddenly and threw me to my knees. It was so sudden and unpredictable that immediately I broke down in tears. Then the Holy Spirit began to show me pictures of sin in my life. He showed me areas where sin had crept in and remained unresolved.

I was born and reared in a Christian home and even as an infant my parents used to read the Bible to me. My parents reared me in the ways of the Lord. But now God was dealing with what I had thought were “evangelical sins,” small things—things many Christians seemed to wink at and say, “Well, it’s OK if you lust a little or covet a little. Just make sure you do not let it get out of hand.” I had accepted a distortion of biblical teaching that it is OK if we always have a small percentage of sin or evil in us. But now the Holy Spirit was resisting me. He was not embracing me.

TIME DOES NOT ERASE SIN

While I was there on the gravel path, the Lord pointed out specific things in my life that were not right. I thought time would erase these sins because they were so minor. But I was reminded that little sin is still sin. All sin is evil and eventually destructive. I saw flashes of a time when I had hardened my heart against a brother in my congregation who spoke to me disrespectfully. I could see the very place where it had happened. I had never mistreated him, but I had made a silent pledge never to get close to him again. I was reminded of times when my eyes had lingered too long on images that were not pleasing to the Lord.

I began to weep for my sins as the Spirit showed them to me and felt such a pain for my wrongdoings that I felt sick, as if a fever were coming over my body. The Holy Spirit began to speak to me and now my mind began to catch up with what the Lord was trying to do. He said, “Because you are neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth.” I was shocked. “Lord,” I responded, “I have been in the ministry for years; I am a preacher of Your Word. I fasted last week and I pray every day. How have I been so deceived? Why have I never seen this before?”

98% HOLINESS IS NOT ENOUGH

The Lord said to me, “I wish you would be as cold as a pagan, so I could save you again, or as hot as a believer that has given 100% to Me. Then I could use you in My own way.” Then He repeated this stern warning to me: “Because you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Then the Lord answered my question about why I had not seen this before. He said, “Deceitful is the heart of man, and desperately wicked.” I was terrified. I could not believe that God was speaking these things to me. Then the Lord spoke to me again and said clearly, “98% holiness is not enough.”

Sometime after these events, I was reading a magazine article about leukemia. It said that the disease starts with a genetic change in a single white blood cell in the bone marrow. That disease we pray against and go to hospitals to be healed from—that disease begins with a genetic change in a single white blood cell. And, my friends, that is the way sin operates in our lives—even in the life of a minister, a servant of God. He has a genetic change, a spiritual change in his heart. Maybe a little lust, maybe a little envy, maybe just a small lie. Maybe the sin is some hatred against someone in his church who is making his life impossible. That is enough to pollute the entire system. Then we cannot say as the apostle Paul said, “My conscience is clear” (1 Cor. 4:4).

Many believers have experienced only the blessings of the Lord up to this point in their lives. And His blessings are wonderful. But in order to be used mightily by Him, we must also be cleansed. The same Lord that loves us and blesses us is coming to do surgery in our hearts. We cannot be in the ministry and have evil habits in our private lives. Some have said, “Well then, I will get out of the ministry.” No! Get the evil habits out of your heart!

In a sense, I was a Pharisee of Pharisees. My goal was to be fairly holy, to do fairly well, to pass the examination with an 80%. But the Lord had different demands. He rebuked me for my self-righteousness and exposed the lie of my heart. I then realized my greatest error: I was not trying to be like Jesus. I was just trying to be fairly good.

At that moment I felt that all my religiosity and discipline was like filthy rags in His presence. I realized I had not believed that the Lord had called me to be like Jesus. I had wrongly believed that He had called me to be a fairly good person. The week before my trip to the States I had fasted one day and prayed a lot and felt good about myself. I felt I must have been at least 90% holy.

Sometimes we let apparently insignificant sins lodge themselves in our hearts. But let me ask you this question: What percentage of evil do you think He will allow us to take with us when the Day of the Lord comes? By faith, we must allow Him to cleanse us.

As I was still kneeling on the gravel path, God continued speaking to me in terms that even a child could understand. At that moment, I would have been unable to understand anything very complex. He told me, “Nobody gets up in the morning and prepares a cup of coffee, puts just one drop of poison in it, then stirs and drinks it.” He revealed that many people in the Church allow poison into their hearts and minds. Without a doubt, this small quota of daily sin is destroying them. No one would consider buying a bottle of mineral water with a label that reads: “98% Pure Mineral Water, 2% Sewage Water.” Yet many Christians have allowed spiritual sewage water to seep into their lives.

So many people wonder, Why do I lose the strength of the Lord so quickly? Maybe it is because I am a failure, or maybe it is because I am not trained. I tell you that when there is sin in even 1% of our hearts, it can eventually destroy every ounce of devotion in our lives.

No one would buy water labeled

“98% Pure Mineral Water, 2% Sewage Water.”

CONVICTION OF SIN, NOT GUILT

I wept, I confessed and I repented. The Lord pointed out to me specific sins in my life; He did not just point out generalities. Satan has a fake ministry that he uses especially in the Church. His ministry is a ministry of bringing guilt. The Bible tells us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren (see Rev. 12:10). He comes to put a general sense of guilt into our hearts and minds, but never helps us to resolve such guilt. Then all we do is feel bad about ourselves. Some leaders, workers and servants of the Lord are trying their best, but they are tortured by guilt. Before they preach, they repent and get rid of the guilt for one hour, and then it comes back to them. That is not the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction of sin (see John 16:8). God speaks very directly and specifically and His Word is very clear. He tells us what is wrong with our hearts, our thoughts and our affections and demands repentance from us. If we listen to His voice, He will change us. That is the work of the Holy Spirit (see 2 Cor. 7:10).

It is very different from the work of Satan, who comes to destroy lives and pull entire ministries into depression and loneliness. There are people who think, I hope nobody will find out the way I conduct myself when in private. Dear servant of the Lord, when the fire of the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will say with the apostle Paul, “My conscience is clean” (1 Cor. 4:4). Your life will be purified because of Jesus.

On that third day, May 20, I gradually began to recover the joy of the Lord. But now instead of landing in the same place of fear, I had changed to a new address. The joy of the Lord was in that room. The same glory from the day before returned. For six days I was in the presence of almighty God, weeping and crying. When I thought I was normal, I would put on my tie and jacket and get ready to do some business for God. But before I could touch the doorknob, the power of God would come upon me and throw me to the floor. At times I would be there for hours before I could get up.

SURRENDERING THE GOOD FOR THE BEST

Two weeks later I was preparing to return to my congregation in La Plata. Just before leaving the States to return to Argentina, I attended a pastors’ prayer meeting. A pastor friend of mine was present, and I said to him, “I am returning to Argentina now; I would like to have your phone number and I will give you mine.” He was writing my phone number in his address book and I noticed it began to shake. I asked him, “Are you receiving the same thing that I received?” That was the end of the conversation.

Right there in the church parking lot he fell to the ground under the power of God. There was a Christian school next door, and I could see the parents dropping off their kids and looking at this fellow lying on the ground. I thought, I cannot let this guy affect me too much, because we are in a parking lot. But the power of God came upon me, and I also fell to the ground.

Two other pastors came out of the church and rushed over to where we were, thinking there had been an accident. As they approached us they said, “The Lord is here—this is holy ground,” and they took off their shoes. They fell under the power of God and began to praise God and prophesy. We stayed there for hours. The anointing was so strong that others had to carry us to our cars and drive us to our homes.

The pastor with the address book shook so hard that his university graduation ring fell off his hand. When he picked it up he raised it and said, “Lord, now I know that You not only take evil out of my life, but that You take even good things away from me to give me the best.” Then he did the same thing with his wallet, his keys, everything he had. He said, “I give You my ministry and my life. Nothing is mine; I give everything to You.”

Today this pastor is a personal friend and I can say that his life and ministry have dramatically changed since that encounter in the parking lot.

GOD WON’T CHANGE HIS
MIND ABOUT YOU

I share my testimony not just to tell you about something that is happening on the other side of the world. The Lord has directed me to impart to you what He has given to me. Silver and gold we have none, but what we have we give to you in the name of Jesus (see Acts 3:6). You can receive the fire of God.

I want to speak a word of faith to many of you: The Lord does not change His mind. He does not come to you today and then tomorrow say, “Sorry, you were the wrong guy.” He loves you and what He wants to give you is forever, until Jesus returns. You see, if we pursue purity and remain in Him each day, the fire of God is inextinguishable.

4

ANOINTED FOR HOLINESS

hen the Argentine revival began in 1984 with Annacondia, I was at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California, missing out on most of the initial excitement. At first, I could only imagine the revival from the newspaper clippings and exciting letters I was receiving from my parents. I quickly shared them with my professor of Church Growth, Dr. C. Peter Wagner. In late 1985, I finally took a trimester off at Fuller and returned to see the revival firsthand.

During my break from Fuller, I spent time in my hometown of La Plata. It was very apparent to me that Annacondia and his campaigns were changing the spiritual atmosphere of Argentina. It is said that he has led more than two million people to the Lord since 1984. Churches that had been experiencing no growth now had a new influx of people who had been saved in his campaigns. The way most congregations “did church” had changed. In general, there was more openness to the moving of the Holy Spirit and to new things of the Spirit.

In the spring of 1986, I returned to Fuller, where I had, by now, met Kathleen, my future wife, who was also a student. We were married in Elkhart, Indiana, in July 1986. We continued to live in Pasadena, as Kathleen was finishing her master’s at Fuller as well.

A year later we founded Scataglini Ministries, Inc., and in December 1987, we were “sent out” to Argentina. Our goal was to work with my father’s church to establish a school, an orphanage and a leadership training program. By the end of 1990, the school (kindergarten) and orphanage had been established and the leadership training program was already implemented. Kathleen and I then felt the Lord calling us to move back to the States.

We moved to Elkhart, Indiana in October 1990 and established Prayer Partners Ministry. Its main purpose was to unite Christians in Prayer for revival. During that time, I also began taping Moments of Prayer, which were radio spots leading listeners in prayer for revival; they aired for seven years on Christian radio.

REVIVAL FROM AFAR—AGAIN

While living in Elkhart, Indiana, we began hearing about new things that God was doing in Argentina through Pastor Claudio Freidzon. When I began hearing reports from my friends, it really caught my attention, because Claudio had been one of my roommates in Bible college at Instituto Bíblico Rio de la Plata!

I had always known Claudio to be a quiet person, but the stories we were hearing of stadiums being filled and Claudio ministering powerfully with a great anointing were totally out of character for this unassuming man. I knew it must be the work of the Holy Spirit.

One day I called Claudio at his home in Buenos Aires. I said, “Claudio, what is going on? Tell me.” Claudio confirmed the reports I had been hearing. As he was telling me about the things the Lord was doing, my heart became so much more hungry for revival. I felt acutely needy at that point. I tried to hide my true state, because it would have been embarrassing to reveal just how dry I felt and how desperate I was to receive from God. During the following months, I spent many hours a day in prayer, desiring more of God in my life. I was at a point of spiritual despair.

Sometime later, in 1993, we found out that Claudio was going to be in Cincinnati, Ohio, attending a large crusade of another evangelist. We decided to make the trip from Elkhart to Cincinnati to see Claudio, about 200 miles away. I had only one goal in mind: I was going there to see him, because he had received an anointing from the Holy Spirit and I wanted Claudio to pray for me!

I arrived at a huge stadium in Cincinnati to find thousands of people staking out seats; the arena was filled to capacity. Claudio had told me that he would save a seat for me in the front row. I slowly made my way down to the front, as the worship began.

I was excited to spot Claudio; he was waiting for me and sure enough had saved a seat. My goal was that this man, after this conference, would pray for me. I had driven three and a half hours for that purpose and nothing else.

When I sat down, one of the ushers came and said, “Sir, this seat is reserved, you must go to the back.” I knew there was no more room in the whole stadium and that I would have to sit somewhere “way back there.” If I moved, I knew I would lose sight of Claudio. He was becoming well known and it was hard to get prayed for by him.

I began to pray while the usher was talking to Claudio. I was praying silently, God, I need to be in this place. Please arrange it somehow.

Then a missionary friend from the second row said to the usher, “I have been in these meetings several times already, but this is his only time here. I will give up my seat.” Thank God for missionaries!

I was grateful for that, but I had this sense that somehow I was in the wrong place. It was hard; I almost had to fight for my seat! I then turned to my friend and said, “Claudio, would you pray for me?”

He said, “Well, when the meeting is over, I will pray for you.”

I enjoyed the presence of the Lord during the event, but I kept dwelling on the fact that Claudio was going to pray for me after the meeting. When the meeting was over, however, he said, “I have a scheduled dinner with the evangelist of this crusade, so I might not be able to pray for you tonight.”

I did not know what was going on. I now believe God was testing me, but at the time I was getting a little impatient. After the meeting, Claudio asked if I wanted to wait for him while he went to confirm his dinner appointment. Perhaps something had come up and the evangelist would not be able to meet him. Claudio would then be able to go out with me. I was happy to wait, knowing there was a possibility I could spend time with him.

I waited 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes—the stadium was totally empty. When an endless half hour had gone by, I thought, Am I the only fool standing here with a Bible under his arm waiting for this man to come and pray for him? How foolish I am to have stayed here so long, waiting for nothing. Why did I drive so many hours to come to this place? What is going on here? Lord, I am hungry for You. Lord, I need You.

I thought my friend had probably forgotten about me. Just as I was thinking these things, Claudio returned to the stage area and said, “Let’s go for dinner.” My heart rejoiced at the opportunity. I believe if he would have asked me to go play tennis, I would have done it, too! I would have done anything, just as long as he prayed for me.

I WOULD NOT GIVE UP

At the restaurant I could hardly wait for the break between dinner and dessert so Claudio could pray for me. So I asked him, “Claudio, will you pray for me now?”

He said, “Not here. Let’s go back to my hotel room later on.” I agreed.

We went to his hotel room and he gave me some videos of the crusades he had been holding in Argentina. It was about 2:30 A.M. by this time, and I kept waiting for that prayer. Finally I had the chance to ask him, “Now, Claudio, will you pray for me?”

He answered, “Why don’t you come to one of my crusades in Argentina and I will pray for you.” By this time I was desperate. I said, “I cannot go to Argentina right now.” I did not say it, but I knew I could not wait that long. I insisted so much that my friend finally prayed for me. The Lord knew what He was doing. Claudio prayed a simple prayer over my life, and I left.

God reached inside me and removed the pain
of loneliness and depression.

When I left that place, I was not sure anything had happened except that I felt a deep peace. But that was all. The next day, Kathleen and I and our three young boys—Nathaniel, Jeremy and Miqueas (then four, three and a few months old)—headed home to Elkhart. On our drive back to Indiana, the kids were very restless. I thought that the little anointing I had received would be lost.

But I did not know that the Holy Spirit had come upon me and had already answered my prayer. Although I had been born in a Christian home, up to that time I did not know much about the anointing. Looking back now, I realize that the Lord had been testing my faith. It was not that Claudio did not want to pray for me but, rather, that the Lord Himself was holding back in silence. It almost appeared like a rejection because He was seeing if I really wanted to receive His anointing. I received it!

The next day I began to experience a new freedom in my heart—an inner healing had taken place. I felt that God had reached His hand inside of me and removed what was still left of the pain of loneliness and depression that I had experienced in the past. For the next four years, I was able to preach with a freedom and new anointing that before that time I had seen only sporadically. I dwelled in the anointing. The receptivity to the Holy Spirit I gained with the anointing paved the way for me to receive, four years later, another blessing in a stronger way—the baptism of fire.

Kathleen, our boys and I moved back to Argentina in March 1994 after a season of ministry in Elkhart and began working with my father on the pastoral staff at Puerta del Cielo. In December 1996, I was installed as Senior Pastor; my father stayed on as a key part of the pastoral team. We had a constant moving of the Holy Spirit in our services. Souls were being saved on a regular basis, yet in prayer I found myself crying out to God for more of Him and for a revival in our midst.

In that state of spiritual hunger, I would often visit churches and conferences, where I knew God was moving. One such conference was hosted by Harvest Evangelism in the city of Mar del Plata. The service was so charged with His presence. I knelt down at my seat in the service, and as I was praying, someone came up behind me and abruptly laid both hands on my back and said something like, “Do not look up to the servants of God on the platform, because of their anointing. I will give you what they have in your ministry. You will be ministering in many places, in many stadiums and platforms. I will use you in a mighty way for my glory.” Little did I know that the following year, I would be one of the speakers at that conference!

Another place Kathleen and I used to visit was Rey de Reyes Church in Buenos Aires, where Claudio Freidzon is Pastor. We would even finish our Sunday evening service, and drive an hour to Buenos Aires to be in one of the late meetings. (They were holding six services each weekend, filled to capacity at that time.) We would often be seated by the ushers in the same place--the second row on the right side of the auditorium. Claudio would often come down to our row and lay his hands on us and pray for us. I remember one night I was so desperate to receive the anointing of God, that when they made the altar call, I actually jumped over the pew in front of me and was one of the first ones down at the altar! Afterwards Kathleen commented to me, “Sergio this is embarrassing; you looked desperate.” My response was, “I am desperate!”

We signed up and attended the first “Breakthrough Conference” that Pastor Freidzon hosted at his church. We were greatly blessed and received a lot from the Lord. Little did I know, that I was about to be visited in such a powerful way. Soon afterward, I made my unforgettable trip to the States that forever changed my life.

The Bible says, “Seek and you shall find.” That year, I found what I was looking for! My life has never been the same! When it was time for the Breakthrough Conference the following year, Pastor Claudio invited me to be one of the speakers! I had the privilege to be a part of the speakers at that conference for the next fourteen years.

When we find His presence, we also find His purpose in our lives. Do not give up your search for His presence!

9

WARNING SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL DECADENCE

t was a beautiful spring morning. I was leaving on a trip the following day, so I wanted to make the most of the time with my kids. They were playing in our backyard and the sun was shining brightly. Everything was peaceful. I had awakened early and prayed for a while and was now enjoying the day with the boys. I had no way of knowing that mortal danger was lurking nearby.

After being together in the yard for a while, I told the kids, “Let’s go for a bicycle ride.” So we all climbed onto our bikes and went for a nice ride. We returned from the bicycle ride and the kids were again in the backyard, playing near a small children’s swimming pool that we set up each spring when the weather gets warm. When the kids grew tired of playing, we all went into the house. Once inside, I noticed that the dog was barking incessantly in the backyard.

I went to see what was wrong and could not believe my eyes. Right in the spot where my kids had been playing just moments before was a huge gaping hole over what had formerly been a dry septic well. The entire cement top which had been covering the well now lay at the bottom of the hole, eighteen feet down, covered by water.

Seeing the opening, I did not know if one of my children had fallen into the hole. I ran into the house in a panic and began counting heads, One, two, three boys . . . Whew! Everyone is all right. I gave thanks to the Lord for His protection over us.

By evening I was still shaken up by the thought that we had been so close to the danger, yet we had known nothing about it. Due to some heavy rains we had been having in Argentina, the earth in the well had washed away, leaving a hollow cavity underneath the concrete cover. To our natural eyes, everything looked fine. We could only see the green grass and the ground as it had always looked. But as the space was being washed out, it became a mortal trap, which sooner or later was going to collapse. My children were playing directly over it, and I did not have a clue.

Every so often we wake up to start another normal day and, without warning, something happens that alters the course of our lives forever. That is the way it is in the Christian life as well. Sometimes we do not realize that there are powers trying to eat away at the foundation underneath our feet.

This frightening experience caused me to meditate on lives that are not in tune with the Holy Spirit. It is critical that we pay attention to God’s warnings in our lives. God gives us signs of danger to alert us to things that will wear us out, such as decadence or apathy. If we ignore the Holy Spirit, then in a pre—determined moment a collapse will occur, and our lives will come crashing down.

SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL DECADENCE

Funk and Wagnall’s Standard Dictionary defines “decadence” this way: “In the process of deterioration or decay; a condition or period of decline, as in morals.” I want to share with you some warning signs of spiritual decadence that could help you avoid falling into a spiritual septic hole.

Lack of Spiritual and Moral Energy

A chronic lack of spiritual and moral energy can warn us of impending spiritual danger. I hear people say, “I am not a bad or destructive person. I do not harm anyone, but neither do I have strength to live a dynamic Christian life. I lack energy and motivation.” Many people who lack motivation are living in a spiritual stupor.

Refusal to Change

Another sign of spiritual decadence is when we refuse to change. We bow down to the idols of stability and predictability. We do not want to be bothered by anything apart from what we already know.

Lack of Joy

I remember the first time someone confronted me about my lack of joy. A fellow student at Fuller Seminary approached me and said, “Sergio, are you a happy person?” I did not know how to answer that. I was going through a difficult time and was struggling with discouragement and loneliness. It was not easy for me to give her an honest answer. When there is no joy in the Christian life, it is a sign that something needs to change.

I am not saying there should never be any suffering or sadness or that you will never again have any problems. I am saying that even in the midst of pain and groaning, there can exist the supernatural joy of the Lord.

Becoming Too Controlling

Another sign of spiritual decadence is when we become controlling. Typically, we want to be the owners of everything and do things our way, or we constantly defend our own rights. Another aspect of this problem might be an obsession with the accumulation of riches.

Living with Anxiety and Panic

Warning lights flash in the form of recurring moments of anxiety and panic. You may incessantly feel that something is wrong but If you have this problem, God may be speakingto you right now. He wants to prepare your heart so that He can