In consideration
of the fact that the annniversary of the day of Pentecost will soon
be upon us, I feel moved to focus on the Holy Spirit of our Living
God and the amazing, awesome and absolutely necessary blessings He
brings to our lives. I had actually put this together some time ago, but following the Spirit's leading I'll bring it to you now ...
If you search the
New Testament in the New Living Translation, you will find that the
"Holy Spirit" is referenced at least one hundred fifty one
times. The importance of this cannot be ignored by hearts commited to
walking with our God.
If we look around
us in the body of Christ with His eyes, how many of our Lord's people
do we see walking in the true power of our God? How many do we see
drawn to His throne by those who call themselves by His name, knowing
that this is of the greatest priority and purposes of His heart? Who
seems to be winning the battle for souls in the world where we live?
Is it our Lord? - through us? By ourselves we know that we don't
possess the power necessary to live this life according to the Word
and desires of our Lord. We just don't. Christ knew this, that's why
He sent His Holy Spirit to be to us all that we need and lack - We
can't do it alone. This is a key I could expound on - the joys, the
much neeeded wisdom, fulfillment and comfort of the Holy Spirit and
the real "life" that He brings. But in this writing I'm
compelled to share the exceedingly far greater wisdom of our God in
the scriptures below. These are only some of the references to be
found regarding the Holy Spirit. In them, you'll see much of all
vastness that comes with with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, who
gives it and how. If you're missing this element in your relationship
with our Lord, then you're missing far more than you could possibly
know and I STRONGLY urge you to seek Him until you get it.
Please notice the difference in John 14:17 between "with you
now" (the Spirit abiding with us) and "will be in you"
(the Spirit abiding in us through baptism).
Matthew 3:11 "I
baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God.
But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am -- so much
greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Luke 11:13 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."
Luke 24:49 "And
now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay
here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power
from heaven."
John 1:33 I
didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with
water, he told me, 'When you see the Holy Spirit descending and
resting upon someone, he is the one you are looking for. He is the
one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
John 14:17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for
him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he
lives with you now and later will
be in you.
John 14:26 But when the Father sends the Counselor as my
representative -- and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit -- he
will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself
have told you.
John 20:20-23 As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and
he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw
their Lord! 21 He spoke to them again and said, "Peace be with
you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 Then he
breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23
If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to
forgive them, they are unforgiven."
Acts 1:8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will
receive power and will tell people about me everywhere -- in
Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth."
Acts 2:4 And everyone present
was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other
languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
Acts 2:33 Now he sits on the throne of highest honor in heaven, at
God's right hand. And the Father, as
he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon
us, just as you see and hear today.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins
and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:31 After this prayer, the building where they were meeting
shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they
preached God's message with boldness
Acts 5:32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy
Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him."
Acts 8:15-17, 15 As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these
new Christians to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy
Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid
their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:38 And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around
doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God
was with him.
Acts 10:45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed
that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the
Gentiles, too.
Acts 19:2-6, 2 "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?" he asked them."No," they replied, "we
don't know what you mean. We haven't even heard that there is a Holy
Spirit." 3 "Then what baptism did you experience?"
he asked.And they replied, "The baptism of John." 4 Paul
said, "John's baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from
sin and turn to God. John himself told the people to believe in
Jesus, the one John said would come later." 5 As soon as they
heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then
when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
Romans 1:4 And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of
God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy
Spirit.
Romans 5:5 And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know
how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit
to fill our hearts with his love.
Romans 8:1-19 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong
to Christ Jesus. 2 For the power of the life-giving Spirit has
freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads
to death. 3 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful
nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent
his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful.
God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice
for our sins. 4 He did this so that the requirement of the law would
be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature
but instead follow the Spirit. 5 Those who are dominated by
the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are
controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the
Spirit. 6 If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is
death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life
and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It
never did obey God's laws, and it never will. 8 That's why those who
are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please
God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are
controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
(And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living
in them are not Christians at all.) 10 Since Christ lives within you,
even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive
because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God,
who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised
Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this
same Spirit living within you. 12 So, dear brothers and sisters,
you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges
you to do. 13 For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But
if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil
deeds, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are
children of God. 15 So you should not be like cowering, fearful
slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children,
adopted into his family -- calling him "Father, dear Father."
16 For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us
that we are God's children. 17 And since we are his children, we will
share his treasures -- for everything God gives to his Son, Christ,
is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also
share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to
the glory he will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting
eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children
really are.
Romans 8:23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy
Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be
released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that
day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including
the new bodies he has promised us.
Romans 8:26-28, 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress.
For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should
pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be
expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what
the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in
harmony with God's own will. 28 And we know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God and
are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 9:1 In the presence of Christ, I speak with utter truthfulness
-- I do not lie -- and my conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm
that what I am saying is true.
Romans 14:17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or
drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you
happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow
with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:16 a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I
bring you the Good News and offer you up as a fragrant sacrifice to
God so that you might be pure and pleasing to him by the Holy
Spirit.
Romans 15:30 Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy
Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. I
did not use wise and persuasive speeches, but the Holy Spirit was
powerful among you.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or don't you know that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?
You do not belong to yourself,
1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 1 And now, dear brothers and sisters, I will
write about the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to
each of us, for I must correct your misunderstandings about them. 2
You know that when you were still pagans you were led astray and
swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know
how to discern what is truly from God: No one speaking by the Spirit
of God can curse Jesus, and no one is able to say, "Jesus is
Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are different
kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the
source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service in the
church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. 6 There are different
ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work
through all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a
means of helping the entire church. 8 To one person the Spirit gives
the ability to give wise advice; to another he gives the gift of
special knowledge. 9 The Spirit gives special faith to another, and
to someone else he gives the power to heal the sick. 10 He gives one
person the power to perform miracles, and to another the ability to
prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to know whether it is
really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking. Still
another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,
and another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11
It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts.
He alone decides which gift each person should have.
2 Corinthians 1:22 and he has identified us as his own by placing
the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment of everything
he will give us.
2 Corinthians 3:6 He is the one who has enabled us to represent his
new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the
Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit
gives life.
2 Corinthians 5:5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a
guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 6:6 We have proved ourselves by our purity, our
understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the
power of the Holy Spirit.
Galations 3:2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive
the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy
Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard
about Christ.
Galations 3:5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit
and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of
course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about
Christ.
Galations 3:14 Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the
Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we
Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
1 Corinthians 2, 1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I first came to
you I didn't use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God's
message. 2 For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his
death on the cross. 3 I came to you in weakness -- timid and
trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. I did
not use wise and persuasive speeches, but the Holy Spirit was
powerful among you. 5 I did this so that you might trust the
power of God rather than human wisdom. 6 Yet when I am among mature
Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of
wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to
the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing. 7 No, the
wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God, which was hidden in
former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world
began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they
had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is
what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear
has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those
who love him." 10 But we know these things because God has
revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out
everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. 11 No one can know
what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no
one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. 12 And God has
actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know
the wonderful things God has freely given us. 13 When we tell you
this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us
by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths.
14 But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths
from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those
who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. 15 We who
have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand
us at all. 16 How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord
is thinking? Who can give him counsel?" But we can understand
these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
So having planted some seed for consideration via the Lord's own Word and perhaps motivating some conversation with our Lord for those who don't, I'll leave you with only
just one little question:
Got Holy Spirit?
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