More on the Holy Spirit's Gifts and Power
We would like to share with you an opportunity to mature in your faith and be empowered for service in Christ. One of the greatest rewards of the Christian experience is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Once we commit our lives to him we will begin on a journey to maturity.
After many years of walking with Jesus and reading His Word I discovered that the scriptures portray Jesus as pointing to His Father and His Father affirming His Son and the Son pointing to an encounter with the Holy Spirit and then the Holy Spirit pointing and exalting the Son of God. The Holy Spirit is known as the Comforter.
The scriptures go on to reveal that these three bear witness with one another and mysteriously are what the word of God reveals as a tri-unity or co-equal but are one. In the old Hebrew covenant we see what the early Hebrew Christians saw as types and shadows of a coming Messiah. (Gen 3:15; Isaiah 9; 11:1-5; Isaiah 53)
4“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NKJV)
The Lord Jesus (Yeshua) said, “44Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47“and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48“And you are witnesses of these things. 49“Behold, I (1)send the (2)Promise of My (3)Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with (4)power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49 NKJV)
From G575 and G4724; set apart, that is, (by implication) to send out (properly on a mission) literally or figuratively: - put in, send (away, forth, out), set [at liberty].
From G1861; an announcement (for information, assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good): - message, promise.
Apparently a primary word; a “father” (literally or figuratively, near or more remote): - father, parent.
From G1410; force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.
In the Tora there is a command from God to Moses to remember all the commandments that he gave to the children of Israel by the blue threaded tassel on the corners of there garments as a remembrance of the Laws of God. A physical reminder.
Numbers 15: 37Again the Lord (yeho^va^h) spoke to Moses (mo^sheh), saying, 38“Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39“And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40“and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. 41“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.” (see John 14:25)
John 14: 25“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28“You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. 29“And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31“But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here. (see Numbers 15:37 NKJV)
John 7: 37On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39But this He spoke concerning the (2)Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
From ἅγος hagos (an awful thing) compare G53, [H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated): - (most) holy (one, thing), saint.
From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy spirit: - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare G5590.
John 20: 19Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the (1)Holy (2)Spirit. 23“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Acts 2: 1When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
The Question remains today as it was in that Day;
Have you received the Power of Holy Spirit since you first believed?
Some Scriptures from the Amplified Bible to help you understand:
Act 1:5 For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with (placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.
Act 1:8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.
Act 2:33 Being therefore lifted high by and to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promised [blessing which is the] Holy Spirit, He has made this outpouring which you yourselves both see and hear.
Act 2:39 For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. [Isa. 57:19; Joel 2:32.]
Act 8:17 Then [the apostles] laid their hands on them one by one, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Act 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the message.
45 And the believers from among the circumcised [the Jews] who came with Peter were surprised and amazed, because the free gift of the Holy Spirit had been bestowed and poured out largely even on the Gentiles.
Act 11:15 When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as He did on us at the beginning. [Acts 2:1-4.]
16 Then I recalled the declaration of the Lord, how He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with (be placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.
Act 19:2 And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
6 And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied.
Ø How do I receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit? (Acts 2:38, 39)
You need to do a number of things in order to receive this blessing. First, you need to be born again. The person who is going to be filled with the Spirit must have the indwelling Spirit and must belong to Jesus (Rom. 8:9).
The second thing you have to do is ask. The Bible says, if we ask for the Holy Spirit, that prayer will be answered (Luke 11:8). 3.
The third thing you have to do is surrender. The apostle Paul made this need clear in the Book of Romans when he said, "Present your bodies a living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1).
Fourth, you must be willing to obey the Spirit. God does not give this power to someone and then say, "You can take the part you like and leave the part you do not like." If you want to be immersed in the Holy Spirit, you need to be prepared to obey the Spirit (Acts 5:32).
Fifth, you need to believe. The apostle Paul said, "Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Gal. 3:2). The answer, obviously, is faith. You have to believe that if you ask, you will receive.
Finally, you have to exercise what God has given you. Having asked, having received, having been willing to obey, and having believed, you need to respond in a biblical fashion.!
The Bible says those baptized with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost "began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). This means they spoke the words that the Spirit gave them. The Holy Spirit gave the words’ but the apostles and disciples voluntarily responded. There was action based on faith, not merely passive acceptance of the blessing. That is the way it is with God. God is offering the baptism in the Holy Spirit to people who need only to reach out and take it and then enjoy the blessing.
My Prayer:
Father, In the Name of Jesus, I ask you to Baptize me into your
Holy Spirit. Amen! And thank You and begin to praise You!