We All Have a Story Part 3
God enters our stories in many ways through our lives. Many of you possibly have dramatic salvation experiences, however, I received Christ as my Savior at such an early age, I do not ever remember a time when I have not known Him. That does not mean that my younger years were not filled with times of rebellion, when I was influenced by peer pressure. I would do things I knew I shouldn't do, then pray, confess my sin, and, promise I wouldn't do it again. Sadly, that only lasted until the next opportunity presented itself. I remember while in Denver, CO during my tech training for the USAF Reserve, I was witnessing to one of the other airmen while returning from a place, let's just say, I should not have been in.
Thankfully though, in 1971, a woman from our church invited my mother, brother, and I to a Full Gospel Business Men's meeting. The speaker was Mike Evans, who is involved with evangelism in Israel. He spoke, that night, on receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and told us that the Spirit would give us power to live a godly life. My brother and I both responded and went forward to receive God's wonderful gift. After that experience and the presence of the power of Holy Spirit in my life, things really changed! My witness increased and I had the power to resist sin and peer pressure. I was even able to more easily share my life in Christ with my co-workers. The Holy Spirit also helped me improve the quality of work I was able to do. When I left Werner's to go to Bible School, the foreman told me that knowing me and hearing my witness had brought about a change in his life! Wow! What a difference the Holy Spirit makes when you invite Him in and let Him lead your life. Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive (to take with the hand, in order to use it, take possession of, to appropriate to oneself) power when the Holy Spirit has come (descending and operating in one) upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 4:31, "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled ( to be full; what wholly takes possession of the mind) with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
After Bible School, I was once asked to talk to my cousin, who was having some serious marital problems. I asked my dad to go along, because I, as a single man, wasn't sure I would have enough knowledge to be helpful. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would give me wisdom and lead me in what to say. As we were leaving my cousin's house, my dad said to me, "Wow! That was really amazing! The counsel you gave was with great wisdom." My only response was that it was the Holy Spirit's counsel, not mine. I discovered that night that you do not have to depend on what knowledge you possess. Wisdom is given liberally when you ask. James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." I have experienced this truth many times in my life as a pastor. Since I became a willing vessel, it has amazed me to see what God can and will do. The Holy Spirit is a person and He works in our lives, just as Jesus promised He would. These words of Jesus were recorded in John 16:13-16, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. 16 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." Jesus also spoke, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." in John 14:15-18.
The Holy Spirit comes to indwell us when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Our spirit is translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, from death to life. We must understand that the "indwelling" Spirit and the experience I am speaking about, (which I refer to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit), is by the same Spirit, yet it is a different manifestation or revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Let us look at Acts 19 verses 1-6, "And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. We note in verse 1 that Paul had found disciples (those who had believed upon and confessed Jesus, according to Vine's Expository Dictionary). Then in verse 2, Paul asks if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Their response was that they had, "not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." The word "receive" in verse 2, according to Thayer's Greek Lexicon means: to take to oneself, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. appropriate to oneself. In verse 5 we see these disciples were water baptized. Then in verse 6 Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came (to come into) upon them.
If we look now at Luke 11:13 which says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give (of one's own accord to give to someone; to bestow, give as a gift) the Holy Spirit to those who ask (to ask for, desire) Him!" If we desire to have the gift of the Holy Spirit wholly take possession of our mind, all we need do is to ask. Remember, receiving this gift of the Holy Spirit according to Acts 1:8 fills us with His dunamis (miracle working) power so that we may be effective in the work of His kingdom.
In Acts 2:1-4, we read of when the disciples in the upper room received this baptism of the Holy Spirit, "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." The initial sign of their having received this gift was speaking with other tongues or a language not known by the speaker. Speaking in tongues should not be feared. It is an amazing part of the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given to us. 1 Corinthians 14:2a, "For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God" Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." The Holy Spirit prays for us and leads us in what to pray. God gives us this gift so that we can pray His perfect will.
In Ephesians 5:17-20 we are told emphatically that we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" The word 'filled' in verse 18 means to fill, diffuse throughout one's soul. The tense of the Greek word could cause the words to "be filled" to be translated as "be being filled". It is to be a continuous process. In verse 19, "spiritual songs" come about by the Holy Spirit in us, thus, the Holy Spirit enhances our worship. The Holy Spirit empowers us, comforts us, and helps us to pray and worship.
In John 14:16, we see that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Helper".
This gift of the Holy Spirit is the one I received all those years ago at the Full Gospel Business Men's meeting. Before I asked for and allowed the Holy Spirit to have control of my life, it seemed almost impossible to refuse the flesh. The Holy Spirit is a wonderful gift from God that enables us to walk in His power and not follow nor give in to our fleshly desires.
Galatians 5:16-25, "I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
As I have shared this crucial experience from my time line, if you realize you have not experienced the Holy Spirit in this manner, you need only to ask your heavenly Father and He will freely give you this gift of love!
If you have areas of your life in which you have not been able to overcome, God has provided what you need to be victorious - the power of the Holy Spirit!
Ask. Ask today! You will not be sorry!
He loves you and so do I.