The Holy Spirit is for You
I have apologized for several years on the net for the ridiculous way many Pentecostals and Charismatics have portrayed the Holy Spirit. I am many times ashamed at those who claim my Lord as Savior and the Issuer of the Gift of the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation to those who believe. The other issue is those same people teach parts of the Word of God in their churches and they adhere to little if any guidance from the Word in the Holy Spirit gifts. As so many who have been scared off, offended, and skeptical, the Word of God must always be the guideline as measure of all things including the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and I will also toss in here the measure for the manifestations of the Holy Spirit which is very different than the gifts.
There are Three Members of the Godhead, and each Member has given gifts to the body of Christ, the church. Herein lies much of the problem because of some who fail to read the Bible and study some very basic things.
I God, The Holy Spirit Gifts
1Corinthians 12:7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
II God, the Father Gifts
1Corinthians 12:28-30 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
III God, the Son Gifts
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For one to "lump" them together is poor understanding of the individuality and perfect oneness of the Godhead. It also violates sound Scriptural principles that lead to much error about the gifts of the Godhead. God in all Three members of the Godhead saw fit to bless the body of Christ with gifts to empower, to challenge, and to edify the church. Please also notice that there are some points of agreement in the gifts of the Father and with the Son as well as there are points of agreement with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but with the Son and the Holy Spirit there is only a point of empowerment, no agreement. Notice that a minister may be called into the ministry, but he will need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the whole will of the Godhead for his calling.
The first thing that must be understood about the gifts of the Holy Spirit is basic and quite important, yet it is misunderstood and where much error does arise when discussing them with someone else. For the gifts of the Holy Spirit to operate in a person that person must first receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit. Let's take a look at the disciples to see what I am saying.
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
By now we sure know that the grace of God appeared bringing salvation to us and John the Baptist was to prepare the way into the kingdom and prepare the people to hear the Word from the Lord Himself. John preached repentance to our Holy Lord, and when that happened he water baptized the repentant ones in the river, a good dunking!! So from the beginning of ministry in the NT we see a clear distinction between salvation and regeneration by the Holy Spirit upon repentance and the subsequent act of Jesus who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Jesus gives a little more detail here about the Holy Spirit being given by the Father. We notice several things here. One thing is that the Father is ALSO One who sends the gift of the Holy Spirit as we have seen John the Baptist saying the Son will send Him. we also notice that we must ask. This does present a problem for many today. Why? Consider this, if one is taught that the gift of the Holy Spirit isn't for you today, then you will by no means seek the Father to send Him pouring out on you that precious gift. Simply because of circular reasoning you are caught in the catch 22 position. You don't believe the gift of the Holy Spirit is for today and will never receive Him because you will never ask for Him. Yet those who are seeking the Lord for the truth no matter what it may lead to will receive Him in the fullness of Him!
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Now we see that Jesus adds a few more details for the disciples. He tells them that He sends the Promise of the Father. What is the Promise of the Father? The Promise is the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Why do we know this is the Promise? The disciples are already taught and committed to the Lord! They have already been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are new in Christ. Look at the timing of the next verse. The next verse I quote is BEFORE the time of this commission being given to them.
John 20:20-24 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
This is the evening after His resurrection and after Mary told them of His resurrection whereas Jesus ascends into the heavens in Luke 24. So the issue becomes very clear that the disciples have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit by the time of Luke's commission. Now I personally believe that we see that Jesus implies this when He washed the feet of His disciples and has the conversation with Peter. Jesus makes clear that they were clean. Clean from what? Sin! How can that be? He hasn't died yet! Now I realize this could be a bone of contention so I won't go into it, but the point is clear as to the timing. Now let's look at Luke's other recording of the conversation about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4-5 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Jesus tells again of the Promise, He describes the event in relationship to John the Baptist who dunked people in the river! This is the Promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Spirit being sent to the church and will be given to believers who ask and desire all they can get from the Lord, a relationship filled with adoration, awe, and devotion. Take particular notice that the Promise will take place shortly, soon, not many days hence! But Jesus will be a little more specific!
Acts 1:6-8 ¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The heresy that led Judas to betray Jesus is still a part of the thinking of the disciples. What heresy you ask? The false doctrine that the Messiah would set up Israel forever, the false doctrine that the Messiah would remove Roman rule, and the false doctrine that the Messiah would establish His kingdom immediately for the Father. Judas betrayed Jesus convinced he could force the Messiah to do this heresy, and here the disciples are concerned about this same thing in a less threatening manner. However Jesus reveals the importance of the commission to go into all the world, and He reveals the Promise is for the purpose of completing the commission. The church is to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the evangelization of the world. I see only an integral and critical event necessary to be as effective as He desires His people to be by sending the Promise of the Holy Spirit. But again if we are caught in the catch 22 circle of reasoning this Promise is tossed aside. Shame on us!
The Promise of the Father does come to pass beginning on the Day of Pentecost, praise God! What a day that was as 120 disciples in the upper room experienced what so many today call false doctrine. The 120 received the Gift of the Holy Spirit, bless God!
Acts 2:1-4 ¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
For those 120, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the room shook, a sound like a wind blew in, fire of cloven tongues sat on them, and they spoke in OTHER tongues. They praised the Lord, they worshiped the Lord, they adored the Holy One of Israel! It was glorious and magnificent in the upper room! Entering the upper room for the Promise of the Father is an event that will not be forgotten for most who have been there and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now there are some very important things to know here. First and most important is they are in the upper room when this happens. They are not in the streets of Jerusalem nor are they in a synagogue where there are hundreds of onlookers, they are in the upper room. Also notice they are all in one accord and because they were in one accord with the Lord, there was no doubt, no division, just unity desiring what God will do in their lives, in this case they desire and are waiting for the Promise. They are obedient to the Lord walking completely and totally obedient. They are loving and worshipping and adoring their Jesus. Because they are in right standing with the Lord, because they are obeying the Lord, and because they are seeking the Promise (that's why they were encouraged to tarry until they received the Promise), they were in one accord and therefore were able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! In the years since receiving the Holy Spirit and preaching the Word I have observed that when these factors are aligned in one's life, then they too experience the same thing that the 120 experienced.
Now these 120 are worshipping the Lord in the upper room, it isn't a quiet and dignified and fundamental worship that so many call worship today. Why do we know this? Because some people heard the noise in the upper room! Look at what happens. Please pay particular attention to what I just said, they are in the upper room and many people will gather together because of the noise questioning what is going on. This is critical to understand, so I want to take a little more time here. The 120 are speaking to the Lord in other tongues, it is very noisy, very noisy! If you place 4-5 people in the corner of a church and have them talk to each other at the same time, what do you hear from afar off? Noise, right? Now add to this that they are 120 in number. What will you hear? Noise with a capital N!! Now one more thing! Add to that 120 all of them speaking in other tongues! What will you hear? Most certainly and most definitely noise! The multitude will gather and by all accounts and common sense they will hear noise!
Acts 2:6-12 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
In the multitude were a diversity of nation languages and yet each one seemed awe struck because each one heard the noise, BUT IT WASN'T NOISE, it was in their tongue they spoke. They heard noise and interpreted their own tongue understanding the words being spoken were praise and worship to Yashua! They were all amazed! The multitude is wondering how such an event could take place. They heard the testimony of great works done by the Lord and the worship and praise for those mighty acts of the Lord, and yet they didn't understand what was happening! They couldn't believe what they heard! They were in total amazement!
Please don't fear because wherever the Lord is doing a mighty act, the devil stirs up the unbelief and doubt to contradict and challenge the Lord! This happens today more so than I have ever seen since committing my life to Jesus. He is Lord but in these last days He is being reduced to a mere idol for an accessory to clothing and the feel good heart. Shame on us as we distort and blaspheme the Lord this way!
Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
When one can't explain something in the Word or they choose to reject or not believe the Word as it is written, they resort to tearing apart the messenger thinking this does away with the truth! Not so!! As a messenger of the Lord I am still a human being and so I can be easily torn apart even disqualified based on your own criteria, but the message, if from the Lord will stand no matter what is done to me! Here the doubters and skeptics have heard what some who were near the upper room were talking about. They slam the 120 with such a slam sure they will dispel the Promise and eliminate the truth of what happened as resounded by many who were in the multitude that formed outside the upper room. This is also no different than today because the slam rejects being slain in the Spirit, the slam rejects speaking in other tongues, the slam rejects being drunk in the Spirit, the slam rejects the gift of the Holy Spirit, but because they have no understanding of God nor desire to understand the Lord nor want what His Word states in their lives, they slam the 120 calling them drunks! Shameful, even blasphemous!! But there is a man of God raised up to address the lie of the devil and explain the truth of God! Praise the Lord for those He has called to go no matter what slam they may face! They go, they teach, and the Word will not come back void! Peter will be the man, and God's Word will go forth and some 3000 will repent this day!!
Acts 2:14-21 ¶ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter tells the multitude the 120 were not drunk, common sense shows that to be impossible considering the time of the day being 9:00AM! They were shortly risen from sleep when the Promise fell on them! Being drunk is just a lie of the devil according to Peter, a slam that holds no water! Peter makes clear that what happened was what Joel prophesied 100s of years prior to the Day of Pentecost! Joel called the Promise, the "pour out of My Spirit" or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or the baptism of the Holy Spirit as Jesus has already said in Acts 1 and as John the Baptist said in Matthew 3. This 120 received the Holy Spirit and fire from the Father, the Promise that they were to tarry in Jerusalem to receive that was for the purpose and intent of empowering the church to accomplish the demanding task of evangelizing the whole world beginning in Jerusalem!
Within this sermon from Peter are the parameters of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Some very deceived people commonly show from 1Corinthians 13 that the Holy Spirit doesn't do the things that Peter says in his sermon. However, Peter in quoting Joel 2:28-32, not only says that the 120 experienced what Joel prophesied, but also defines the parameters for the outpouring. Obviously there can be no argument that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given on the Day of Pentecost because it is clearly written the 120 received the Promise. The end of the gift of the Spirit, the end of the outpouring prophesied by Joel is also given. Look at what Peter quotes from Joel! "And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
We quote the last verse here for the easy believism, just call on the Lord!! But in this we see the time frame of calling on Him, up to the great and notable day of the Lord to come. When is this or what is this? It is His coming, His Parousia, His return to the earth for His bride. When does the Holy Spirit stop being poured out? When He returns for His bride. The purpose of the Lord will be complete as He unites His church together (Hebrews 11:39-40), dead in Christ with those who are alive in Christ. The wording of Peter's quote is exactly in line with the 6th Seal judgment and the 7th trumpet judgment, the last trump which Paul tells the Corinthians in Ch 15. So the parameters are from the Day of Pentecost until He returns for His bride. Peter will restate this in another way in a few verses. Peter will now continue in the area of evangelism preaching a fiery message that is anointed by the Lord and will prick the hearts of 3000 men. These convicted and Holy Spirit pricked men ask a very simple question.
Acts 2:37 ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
They are guilty convicted of their sins and they don't know what to do! They have killed the King of Kings, and they have entertained the lies of the devil, they merely want to know what to do about all this conviction! The naysayers of today would say the message given by Peter was too hard because it called sin what it truly was, sin! The skeptics would in today's world slam Peter for being a negative preacher, a preacher who delivers hell fire messages. Some might slam Peter and call him a holy roller, a Charismatic heretic, you know the hard hearted labels in an attempt to remove the guilt on their own hearts without submitting to the Holy Spirit who is convicting them through the anointed Word from the man of God! These men just want to know what to do so Peter tells them what to do! Praise the Lord for men who will stand against the evil and stubborn hearts in this adulterous and wicked generation. Stand and proclaim what the Word says!
Acts 2:38-39 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
The first thing for these convicted by the Holy Spirit is to repent! Man, how simple an answer, but for those who complicate or make the gospel too easy, this sits like sour grapes in their mouths. Repent means exactly that, to have a change of mind about sin and to go and not do it anymore because of that change of mind. Jesus died for sin so sin must be seen as an offense to our Lord and repentance washes those sins away by His blood. Peter is clear to these asking what to do as he tells them to repent! Peter then tells them to be baptized in water in the name of Jesus or as defined by Jesus in the commission, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, a total and complete identification with the Godhead in unity of purpose and heart and submission. Doing this allows the forgiveness of the Son and the forgiveness of the Father to be applied to a person's life and they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit or as Jesus told Nicodemus, they are born again.
Once these people have been made right in the Lord, Peter tells them that the gift of the Holy Spirit is for them, their children, their children's children, anyone who comes to the Lord Jesus in repentance and believing the Word as written. All who are washed in the blood are eligible to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and as we saw at the beginning of the Chapter, the evidence of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues. Some 3000 are added to the Lord this day and by implication they also are lead to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as the 120 received that day!
After one has received the gift of the Holy Spirit, then that person is a vessel that the Holy Spirit can use in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The tongues that are evidenced in the gift of the Holy Spirit are different from the tongues that is called the gift of tongues which is given by the Holy Spirit which reveals there are two types of tongues by definition. When the gifts of the Holy Spirit flow, the gift of tongues is one such gift and by Paul's command to the Corinthians, the gift of tongues must be interpreted.
The evidence of the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit is other tongues. These tongues are exactly what is said about them, they glorify the Father and the Son magnifying and adoring and worshipping the Lord God Almighty in Spirit and in truth! God is looking for such worshipers! This is a language unknown to the user and because Peter reveals what we are saying, praise and worship to the Lord, it is not required to be interpreted. Some have used 1Corinthians 13:1 to call it a tongue of angels, some call it a prayer language, to be honest both would be correct about the very same thing.
When we pray, we are encouraged to pray in the Spirit. When we sing, we are encouraged to sing in the Spirit. Doing the things of God, walking in the Spirit, living our lives using what He has ordained for the church for empowerment and its betterment appears to me to be common sense, but I suppose to those who have been caught in the catch 22 circular reasoning that eliminates the gift of the Holy Spirit and thus the gifts of the Holy Spirit, this would be a natural result. When I am praising the Lord and singing in tongues, I am glorifying the Lord and His awesome wonder and the deeds He has done. When I pray in tongues I am praying the exact will of the Lord and the Holy Spirit empowers my prayer. Do you always know the Father's will in a situation? The Holy Spirit does, and when we pray in tongues that is what we pray, the Father's will to be done!
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Jude 20-21 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
1Corinthians 14:14-15 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. ¶ What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Romans 8:26-27 ¶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Peter tells us again that all believers, those washed in the blood, those born again, those who believe are able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Himself told the disciples to tarry until they received the Promise establishing the importance of the gift of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said the Lord would come and send the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus told us to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We see in Scripture that the gift of the Holy Spirit is subsequential to the born again experience when the Holy Spirit regenerates us and we are indwelt with Him. We see the Lord revealing through Paul that we should be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), this verb being in the Present Tense showing that the Pentecostal experience is more than a one time thing, and that is born out in Acts 4:31 after the disciplined disciples returned from the Sanhedrin!
Are all called into the office of an apostle? Nope, but if he is called, there is an anointing for him and an empowerment of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the Lord's will in that person's life. There will be people in his sphere on influence and as the Holy Spirit deems necessary, He will gift that gift at that moment to accomplish the filling of that need just as He saw it and gave out for the purpose with the results bringing glory to the Lord! This call will need worship in tongues and worship in his own language. This call will need singing in tongues and singing in his own language. This call will need praying in tongues and praying in his own language.
We are all called, but our answer to the call will determine our effectiveness or should I say the Lord's effectiveness through us. Many are called but few are chosen. Have you ever asked why? I am sure that you have! If we are caught in the catch 22 reasoning, we will by default eliminate being chosen. Now I understand the squealing from those in the catch 22 as they claim Pentecostals believe they are better then they are. To be honest this is true and it is false, but by choice and for no other reason. If I am filled with the Holy Spirit as described by Peter, the Lord, Paul, and Joel, and if the gifts of the Holy Spirit are flowing through me as He uses me as a vessel, it would be a correct conclusion that if you were sick I would be the correct person to ask to pray for you. For this reason and this reason alone I would be better than you. However, what is not true is that in actuality I am any better! Why? Because the gift of the Holy Spirit is for all believers and if you ask for Him, at some point the Father will honor your request and He will be poured out upon you with the evidence of tongues. Once you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit the call of God will become even clearer to you as you grow ever so much closer in your relationship with Him! The gifts of the Holy Spirit will begin in operation through you as He decides the needs are and what He decides to do to profit the body of Christ through you. The same Lord over me is over you and all that read this, and He is still pouring out His Spirit today on all flesh!