The Holy Spirit
What is it?
The word for soul is the same word used for spirit and for ghost. This is the part of the body that is considered our heart. It is our emotions, our will, our desire, and it is what motivates (or causes) the body to move. This is the soul or spirit of God.
Lets look at some of the things written of Him:
Isaiah 11:1-3
2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
So we see what the Holy Spirit is like in these verses. He is wise, powerful, and full of joy.
Baptism in the Holy Ghost is often misunderstood as being a filling rather than immersing. What is the difference between being filled with the Holy Ghost and having the Holy Ghost upon you?
It is interesting to know that in the Old Testament people would prophecy and do miracles because the Holy Ghost was on them. Remember, the Holy Ghost was not given until after Jesus was resurrected. But the Spirit of God still moved on people, He just didnt continue with them.
Now the Spirit is given and is to dwell in us.
John 14:16-18
16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
This one verse shows that the Spirit of God was among men but the spirit of God wanted to be in men (or joined with their spirit).
The Spirit did great acts by simply moving on people. They did not however have the Spirit fill them. Except for Jesus who was God in the flesh (Jesus is a full picture of the trinity).
What is it like to be filled with the Spirit?
Lets look at some verses that speak of being filled with the Spirit of God:
John 7:37-40
37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Ephesians 5:17-19
17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
The bible speaks in these verses of being filled with the spirit and it would be like rivers of living water in your belly. It is even referenced that it would be like being drunk. In many places the scripture speaks of people speaking in tongues but it is unwise to assume this to mean you have been filled. The scripture says you will know them by their fruit and that means you know when someone is filled by the fruit they show with the fruit being
Galatians 5:22-23.
How can a person be filled with the Holy Ghost?
There are only two ways recorded in the bible of how the Spirit actually fills someone. These two ways are by breathing on someone and by the laying on of hands.
Acts 8:15
15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
John 20:21-23
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Then we see God breathing again in acts:
Acts 2:2
2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
These are the only two methods of being filled.
To whom are these methods administered to?
Luke 11:12-13
12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If 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?
Here we see those who ask are given this (notice it said your Father will give it not all are the children of God).
What benefit is it to be filled?
Luke 24:48-49
48And ye are witnesses of these things. 49And, 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.
1 Corinthians 2:3-5
3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
People loved to hear Jesus teach or preach because of the power they felt from it. Even today when you hear a preacher you can feel the power of their words. Some feel conviction and others great joy. There is a joy that passes all understanding and that is from the filling of the Holy Ghost.
Can you lose the filling of the Holy Ghost?
David cried out Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and take not thy spirit from me. Will God dwell continually in an unclean house? Does God dwell in the hearts of sinners? What happens when we forget our God? Sin can never cause us to lose our salvation, but if we get to a point when we see that we have turned our back on God we ought to turn back to Him.
You can never lose the seal of the Holy Ghost (through sin) but the seal is not the filling. You can lose the fruits of the Spirit and remember we can know someone by the fruit. If you no longer bear fruit you may no longer be filled.
We will talk about the gifts another time.
What is it?
The word for soul is the same word used for spirit and for ghost. This is the part of the body that is considered our heart. It is our emotions, our will, our desire, and it is what motivates (or causes) the body to move. This is the soul or spirit of God.
Lets look at some of the things written of Him:
Isaiah 11:1-3
2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
So we see what the Holy Spirit is like in these verses. He is wise, powerful, and full of joy.
Baptism in the Holy Ghost is often misunderstood as being a filling rather than immersing. What is the difference between being filled with the Holy Ghost and having the Holy Ghost upon you?
It is interesting to know that in the Old Testament people would prophecy and do miracles because the Holy Ghost was on them. Remember, the Holy Ghost was not given until after Jesus was resurrected. But the Spirit of God still moved on people, He just didnt continue with them.
Now the Spirit is given and is to dwell in us.
John 14:16-18
16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
This one verse shows that the Spirit of God was among men but the spirit of God wanted to be in men (or joined with their spirit).
The Spirit did great acts by simply moving on people. They did not however have the Spirit fill them. Except for Jesus who was God in the flesh (Jesus is a full picture of the trinity).
What is it like to be filled with the Spirit?
Lets look at some verses that speak of being filled with the Spirit of God:
John 7:37-40
37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Ephesians 5:17-19
17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
The bible speaks in these verses of being filled with the spirit and it would be like rivers of living water in your belly. It is even referenced that it would be like being drunk. In many places the scripture speaks of people speaking in tongues but it is unwise to assume this to mean you have been filled. The scripture says you will know them by their fruit and that means you know when someone is filled by the fruit they show with the fruit being
Galatians 5:22-23.
How can a person be filled with the Holy Ghost?
There are only two ways recorded in the bible of how the Spirit actually fills someone. These two ways are by breathing on someone and by the laying on of hands.
Acts 8:15
15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
John 20:21-23
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Then we see God breathing again in acts:
Acts 2:2
2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
These are the only two methods of being filled.
To whom are these methods administered to?
Luke 11:12-13
12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If 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?
Here we see those who ask are given this (notice it said your Father will give it not all are the children of God).
What benefit is it to be filled?
Luke 24:48-49
48And ye are witnesses of these things. 49And, 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.
1 Corinthians 2:3-5
3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
People loved to hear Jesus teach or preach because of the power they felt from it. Even today when you hear a preacher you can feel the power of their words. Some feel conviction and others great joy. There is a joy that passes all understanding and that is from the filling of the Holy Ghost.
Can you lose the filling of the Holy Ghost?
David cried out Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and take not thy spirit from me. Will God dwell continually in an unclean house? Does God dwell in the hearts of sinners? What happens when we forget our God? Sin can never cause us to lose our salvation, but if we get to a point when we see that we have turned our back on God we ought to turn back to Him.
You can never lose the seal of the Holy Ghost (through sin) but the seal is not the filling. You can lose the fruits of the Spirit and remember we can know someone by the fruit. If you no longer bear fruit you may no longer be filled.
We will talk about the gifts another time.
