The Scriptures tells us that God has sets His Holy Spirit within every believers heart as a deposit to guarantee what is to come (he was refereeing to his coming back for us).
When we first enter the kingdom of God, we are born of the Spirit. John 3:5-8.
At that time, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, moves from merely being "with" us to being "in" us, and our bodies become his temple. John 14:17; I Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20. It is the Spirit within us that continually reassures us that we are God's children. Romans 8:15-16. Through his Spirit, God dwells in our hearts — our "inner man" — through faith. Romans 8:9.
The Spirit living within us is God's seal on our lives and his guarantee of what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 5:5; Ephesians Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30.
We must keep in mind this "Holy Spirit seal" is a promise of things to come. There is still this life in which we live. What does the Lord have to say about that?
Jesus' Parting gift to us.
In Acts 2:38-39, the Apostle Peter said:
"Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
What is this promised "gift" of the Holy Spirit?
The first indication comes from the earthly life of Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit had been said to "come upon" or "rest upon" individuals on particular occasions to speak a message or to empower particular service. But he did not REMAIN "on" them — after the deeds for which he was sent were accomplished, he appeared from their human perspective to withdraw from them. However, God told John the Baptist that he would recognize the Lamb of God, the one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit, because he would be "the man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain." John 1:33. ("I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.") Instead of coming only to do a job, the Spirit would come on Jesus to stay.
*Moreover, later in his earthly ministry, Jesus promised that his Father would likewise give the Holy Spirit as a "good gift" to those who ask him, and that, at some point in the future, the Spirit, who now lived "with" his disciples, would come to dwell "in" them. John 14:15-17. (this scripture very much presents Holy Spirit in a very personal way as to encourage us to spend time and get to know him).
When Jesus spoke these words, they were in a future tense ~ a future promise: he had to "go away" and "be glorified" before this would happen.
More scripture ~ John 7:37-39, "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."
John 16:7. "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
So Jesus told his disciples what they should expect the Spirit to do when the Holy Spirit was come upon them.
He would be a Comforter, also allowing them to "see" Jesus even when he was no longer visibly on earth and to recognize that they were in Jesus and Jesus is in his Father. John 14:16-20. He would teach the disciples all things, guide them into all truth, remind them of Jesus' words and show them the future. John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13. He would glorify the Father by showing them Jesus' things — all things the Father has. John 16:14. And as a result of his work, streams of living water would flow out of their lives. John 7:37-39. The Spirit was sent to expand God's kingdom from the single person of Jesus to include multitudes.
Finally, Acts 2:41 records that about three thousand were baptized and added to the number of believers after Peter's sermon on Pentecost. Presumably, these three thousand people received the gift of the Holy Spirit which Peter promised. What was the effect of that gift on them? They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. They were filled with awe at the miraculous signs done by the apostles. They ceased to regard their possessions as their own, but held them all as available to meet each others' needs. They met every day, were thankful and gave praise openly. They enjoyed favor with the people around them, and more were being saved every day. Rivers of living water truly did pour out of them into the streets. In this passage, the focus is not on tongues, or even on miraculous signs, although there was evidence of both, but on the way these believers allowed the Spirit they had been given to control their lives. The important thing was the way they lived.
Glory to God!
For More on THIS Kind of Church Read the Book of Acts !
Shalom ~ Amy Colleen
When we first enter the kingdom of God, we are born of the Spirit. John 3:5-8.
At that time, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, moves from merely being "with" us to being "in" us, and our bodies become his temple. John 14:17; I Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20. It is the Spirit within us that continually reassures us that we are God's children. Romans 8:15-16. Through his Spirit, God dwells in our hearts — our "inner man" — through faith. Romans 8:9.
The Spirit living within us is God's seal on our lives and his guarantee of what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 5:5; Ephesians Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30.
We must keep in mind this "Holy Spirit seal" is a promise of things to come. There is still this life in which we live. What does the Lord have to say about that?
Jesus' Parting gift to us.
In Acts 2:38-39, the Apostle Peter said:
"Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
What is this promised "gift" of the Holy Spirit?
The first indication comes from the earthly life of Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit had been said to "come upon" or "rest upon" individuals on particular occasions to speak a message or to empower particular service. But he did not REMAIN "on" them — after the deeds for which he was sent were accomplished, he appeared from their human perspective to withdraw from them. However, God told John the Baptist that he would recognize the Lamb of God, the one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit, because he would be "the man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain." John 1:33. ("I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.") Instead of coming only to do a job, the Spirit would come on Jesus to stay.
*Moreover, later in his earthly ministry, Jesus promised that his Father would likewise give the Holy Spirit as a "good gift" to those who ask him, and that, at some point in the future, the Spirit, who now lived "with" his disciples, would come to dwell "in" them. John 14:15-17. (this scripture very much presents Holy Spirit in a very personal way as to encourage us to spend time and get to know him).
When Jesus spoke these words, they were in a future tense ~ a future promise: he had to "go away" and "be glorified" before this would happen.
More scripture ~ John 7:37-39, "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."
John 16:7. "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
So Jesus told his disciples what they should expect the Spirit to do when the Holy Spirit was come upon them.
He would be a Comforter, also allowing them to "see" Jesus even when he was no longer visibly on earth and to recognize that they were in Jesus and Jesus is in his Father. John 14:16-20. He would teach the disciples all things, guide them into all truth, remind them of Jesus' words and show them the future. John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13. He would glorify the Father by showing them Jesus' things — all things the Father has. John 16:14. And as a result of his work, streams of living water would flow out of their lives. John 7:37-39. The Spirit was sent to expand God's kingdom from the single person of Jesus to include multitudes.
Finally, Acts 2:41 records that about three thousand were baptized and added to the number of believers after Peter's sermon on Pentecost. Presumably, these three thousand people received the gift of the Holy Spirit which Peter promised. What was the effect of that gift on them? They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. They were filled with awe at the miraculous signs done by the apostles. They ceased to regard their possessions as their own, but held them all as available to meet each others' needs. They met every day, were thankful and gave praise openly. They enjoyed favor with the people around them, and more were being saved every day. Rivers of living water truly did pour out of them into the streets. In this passage, the focus is not on tongues, or even on miraculous signs, although there was evidence of both, but on the way these believers allowed the Spirit they had been given to control their lives. The important thing was the way they lived.
Glory to God!
For More on THIS Kind of Church Read the Book of Acts !
Shalom ~ Amy Colleen
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