The Holy Spirit (4)
By Abraham Eli
This study was first taught on April 24, 2012
Topic: Have Ye Received the Holy Ghost? (1): The Basis for It
No audio available for this study.Background
As we concluded on our sub-theme, “If there is no Holy Spirit”, last week, we saw additional fundamental issues regarding an individual who neither knows about the Holy Spirit, nor has a relationship with Him, even though he may be in church. We noted the following about such an individual:
1. He is not a Christian, and cannot live a Christ-like life, no matter how hard he tries.
2. He is not, and cannot be a part of the Church of God, even though he may be attending church services!
3. He cannot effectively witness about the earthly ministry and mission of Christ, with the conviction which produces repentance.
4. He cannot have any revelation of truth from God, and will be spiritually ignorant. Indeed, he will rely on other people to tell him what God is saying, and if they tell him lies, he has no way of knowing this.
5. He will not be able to stand against the oppression and bondage of the devil, as he will be under perpetual bondage and oppression. He will seek what is good, but will only find evil, because that is all that will be accompanying him.
6. He will be a slave to the desires of the sinful nature, and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot but engage in sinful conduct—sexual immorality, pervasion, and, depravity; things that cause division among men, witchcraft and manipulation, earthly and sensual wisdom, malice, anger, hatred, gossip; and so on.
7. He cannot call Jesus, “Lord” and live accordingly; rather, he will freely curse the Lord, in speech, thoughts, and lifestyle.
8. He will be heavily invested in the occult, magic, soothsaying, sorcery, etc., and even what he calls miracles, are in fact, lying wonders.
9. He will be easily swayed by the devil into the path of iniquity, for that is all he has opened himself to.
However, an individual who knows, and is intimate with, the Holy Spirit, is a Christian in word and deed, and a bonafide member of the Body of Christ, the Church. He is an effective witness of Christ, and receives revelation of truth from God. He is truly free of everything that holds men bound in unrighteousness, and will not give in to sinful desires. He manifests the fruit of the Spirit, and worships God in spirit and in truth. A man who knows the Holy Spirit is enabled by Him, to live as God wants him to, with miraculous signs and wonders following. Finally, we saw that an individual who is intimate with the Holy Spirit continually waxes strong in all things, and performs exploits!
Scripture Text(s)
Acts 19:1-6
Tonight, we shall begin to consider the question Paul asked the disciples of John’s teachings/writings when he first met them: “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” It is our prayer that as we look into the implications of Paul’s question, we shall be able to give an appropriate and affirmative answer, rather than the answer these disciples gave, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
If we are to make any meaningful progress in understanding the implications of Paul’s question, we must first understand a very small, yet very significant aspect of the question: “… since ye believed?”
Mark 1:2-8; Acts 19:2b, 4 (AMP); John 5:31-33; 1:19-27, 6-12, 29-37; 5:39-44, 45-47; Deuteronomy 18:15-22; John 1:45-51, 40-41; 6:66-69; Matthew 16:13-19; John 7:37-39; Acts 2:36-39; Mark 16:15-18.
Conclusion
The rendering of the Amplified Bible of the portion of Paul's question under review, “… when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]?” opened us to two major issues, one of which we have dealt with tonight: The Basis of Receiving The Holy Spirit. This applied to the disciples of John's teachings/writing then, as it does apply to us, today. Like many people who follow and adhere to the teachings/writings of founders of religious sects, these disciples of John majored on the rituals (John's baptism), and possibly mimicked the apparel of John, the Baptist, but were ignorant of the crucial/relevant aspect of John's teachings. And, although, John, the Baptist, kept speaking of “One” who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, these disciples of his whom Paul met at Ephesus, said that they had not as much as heard if there is a Holy Spirit!
Indeed, John, the Baptist, confessed that he wasn't the one who would baptize in the Holy Spirit; but pointed to Jesus, as the “One” Who baptizes in the Holy Spirit, and Whom the people should believe in (depend on for their eternal salvation; entrust their spiritual well-being to). The Lord Jesus Himself, proved that John, the Baptist, the Scriptures (at the time, the Old Testament), and Moses’ writings (the Torah), which the Pharisees (and Islam) hold dear, point to Him, as the Christ (the One Who we should depend on for our eternal salvation/entrust our spiritual well-being to), and, Who baptizes in the Holy Spirit! By divine revelation, Peter confessed Jesus, as the Christ, the Son of the living God––the One in Whom all men should trust for their eternal salvation, deliverance from sin and the devil, spiritual well-being!
Believing in Jesus, as the Christ, is thus the basis of our receiving the Holy Spirit. This belief is not a passive one, but a very active one, which gets the person believing to take certain actions, like publicly confess Jesus as his Saviour and Lord, obey Jesus’ every instruction, and be baptized in His name (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 4:13). It is such a belief in Jesus, which releases many blessings from Him to the believer, including the Holy Spirit! Entrusting your spiritual well-being to John, the Baptist, Moses, the Prophets, or, the founder of a religious sect, will not and cannot give you eternal salvation, neither can it release the Holy Spirit and other spiritual blessings to you!
Paul's question therefore, ties the issue of a person receiving the Holy Spirit (principal among numerous spiritual blessings) to the ‘object’ in whom that person has entrusted his life and spiritual well-being. If your life and spiritual well-being has been entrusted to Jesus, then you should receive the Holy Spirit! Have you entrusted your life and spiritual well-being to Jesus Christ, and are obeying His instructions? Have you received the Holy Spirit? If your answer to both questions is negative, then we must ask, “Is your life and spiritual well-being entrusted to the custody of the founder of a religious sect or organization (like a pastor, a bishop, the Pope, a General Overseer, etc.)?” You can change this today, by renouncing these men, and putting the custody of your life and spiritual well-being into the Hands of Jesus Christ!
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