As we talk a about the gift of holy spirit, the greatest
authority on this subject would be Jesus himself. We should not cast aside what he spoke as
just for the twelve follower he had. I
think Jesus has mad it very clear that the provision of holy spirit is given to
all who believe. Yes, there is
conditions that apply and should not be ignored. Even today churches have no problem telling
us that everyone receives the gift of holy spirit at salvation, but then they
turn around and deny many of the attributes of holy spirit. That is like saying it is good to have a car
to get around but deny the need for an engine.
The car is no good without the engine, just like a believer can not fully
do what God has expected of him without full demonstration and work of holy
spirit. The holy spirit is the engine that gives power to an overcoming
believer.
We will look at the very words of Jesus himself and see what
we should expect from such a gift and the conditions needed for that to
work.
Let me say this before we go much further. I do understand that today we have many fakes,
who have labeled themselves with titles.
They do seem to have a demonstration of power, but use it for their own
gain. I will try to address this more
later. So human nature once it has been burned by a miss use will often turn away from the whole
thing just based on the actions of a few.
Pragmatism has taken over reason and there are those that will tell us
that what they have going on in their groups is the work of holy spirit solely
based on a few results. Like I said last
week I grew up in Pentecost and have seen a lot. There has always been a lingering thought in
my mind when I have seen something many would call a move of the holy
spirit. That is why is there no real
change in the individual who was impacted, or why didn’t real truth come
forward in t event?
When I see what Jesus tells the believer should happen when
one is filled with holy spirit, I do have to wonder how so many could label much
of the modern churches activities as from the holy spirit. Jesus begins to give his followers an insight
of what they should expect in the age called the church, although Jesus never
gave a complete picture of the coming birth of the church. He did however give a great insight into
being filled with holy spirit and what that should look like. It is after the gift of holy spirit was given
we find examples and teachings on it’s deeper impact on a person and the
church.
Jn 14:10-14 NIV Don’t you believe
that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you
are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his
work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or
at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in
me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father. And I
will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the
Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Notice
what Jesus is telling Philip who asked Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus also spent his life on this earth
revealing to the world the true nature of God, his Father. The point I want you to see here is Jesus
claim to have the father in him. No,
this does not make Jesus God, but by nature of God’s spirit and Jesus’ own
birth he was a perfect representative of his Father. How, one may ask, by two ways, both in which
we today can partake in through faith. First,
Jesus was the begotten son of God. In scientific
terms he had God’s DNA. God himself by
miracle created a seed in Mary that impacted her human egg which caused a conception.
Mary then gave birth to a son who was a perfect genetic representative of his
father.
Second,
Jesus was also given the gift of holy spirit at his baptism, (Matt.3.16, Acts
10.38). Through out the gospels we can
see it was that gift of holy spirit that gave Jesus the power to be his father’s
representative. Jesus is telling us in
the book of John that it was his fathers spirit that was in him an every believer
could have it as well. The proof Jesus
pointed to was the signs and wonders that followed Jesus’ ministry and life.
Both
of the above we can be a part of. By faith and belief in God and His son Jesus,
we can experience being born again and being filled with the gift of holy
spirit.
Jesus
then tells us that everyone who has faith in him, or one could say complete
trust in Jesus and what he was saying.
They, too, could have these same signs and wonders following their
life. Now we will see there are
conditions to this, but none the same, this is for anyone who put their faith
in the teachings of Jesus. I am not
talking about our modern thinking about faith, but a simple, complete trust in
Jesus and His commands. Jesus even took it a step further and said that those
after him who believed would do even greater than He did, I am not sure what we
see today is a fulfilling of that. I
have heard in my lifetime that the modern church through media and many movements
are doing greater works than Jesus. I do
not agree, it is still only by a select group and limited, when Jesus said that
everyone who had their faith in Jesus would have it working in their life. Then there are many false claims of signs and
wonders that we should be careful of.
Jn 14:15-26 NIV “If you love me,
you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, an he will give you
another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept
him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives
with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to
you. Before long, the world will not see
me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that
day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in
you. Whoever has my commands and obeys
them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I too will love him and show myself to him.” Then Judas (not Judas
Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to
the world?” Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My
Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He
who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my
own; they belong to the Father who sent me. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But
the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of
everything I have said to you.
One
of the main conditions to this power with signs and wonders is obedience to the
teachings of Jesus. If we are to be true
representatives of God and Jesus we have to completely follow their ways. One can not be a true representative doing
and living their own way. Through all
the years of pragmatic leadership and worldly influence the church has lost its
way. Forever damaged by false teachings
and systems almost all churches no longer truly follow the teachings of
Jesus. No wonder we don’t see the power
of God in true demonstration.
I
hear today many say there are leaders who now have a deeper revelation than the
very ones who heard it directly from Jesus and where given what to write for us
to read. The other thing I hear is a dismissal
of what Jesus said, by saying God does not do those kinds of things anymore, or
we live in another time and God’s thinking has changed. I just have one question for these people
where can you prove that in scripture?
Let’s
get back to what Jesus was telling his followers. If they truly loved him they would obey
him. Then this counselor, spirit of
truth would not only be with them but in them as a part of their very
lives.
Right
here before a go any further, I feel I need to make clear something that is not
obvious to everyone. Jesus was not speaking
of another person, but of God’s very presence reveled. He personified this gift, much like Solomon
did in his writings in Proverbs concerning wisdom. Wisdom is not a person no more than the gift
of God’s power in a person is a spiritual person. (I know I may get a lot of feed back on this
one, but before you get upset do your homework and compare Proverbs and read
how the writers of the rest of the New Testament spoke of the gift of holy
spirit, then Read Revelations and ask where is this person.) If you do not understand that Jesus was
speaking of a gift and power not a person, you will miss the heart of what he
was saying.
Jesus
was making it very clear that as one believes and truly obeys, God’s own
presence would dwell in us, just like it was in Jesus. This gift would reveal
truth and make Jesus plain to those who were willing to completely follow
him. I believe Jesus was talking here of
his death and resurrection. That only
those who truly loved him and obeyed would see him and know him after his
resurrection. When one reads the
accounts following his resurrection this is exactly what happened. Jesus revealed himself only to those select few,
teaching them further about the future kingdom.
He did not have mass crowds gathering around him, the people were completely
unaware that Jesus was risen from the dead.
Jesus
was letting them know, it would be the spirit that would help them know it was
Jesus that was raised from the dead.
There would be no other way they would be able to believe and recognize Jesus
after his resurrection. Jesus was
telling them that the spirit was with them, but would soon be in them. This spirit would be the presence of God
living in the believer as did in Jesus.
Jesus said they both would dwell in us, was he telling us there would be
two spirits in us or a single gift that represented them both?
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