Chapter 4: Receiving the Holy Spirit

IN THIS LESSON, you will discover:

• Reasons for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

• The sealing of the Spirit.

• The reception of the Spirit.

• Effects of the Spirit’s coming.

• Answers to questions concerning the Holy Spirit.



AS A RESULT, you will be able to:

• Fulfill God’s will through “power evangelism.”

• Stand with confidence before the Father.

• Receive the promised Holy Spirit.

• Recognize the coming of the Spirit.
• Follow Jesus and carry on His work and ministry.

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 237-63.

Key Scripture: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

Key Words: Pneumatics, Pneumatic Hermeneutic.

Having discussed the background of the Spirit’s coming in the last chapter, we now address the question of why the Spirit comes. The coming of the Spirit serves a dual purpose — to guide us into truth and to empower us for ministry.

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth. The Spirit, who was with the disciples in the person of Jesus, came to be in them after His resurrection (John 14:16-17). Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would guide us into “all truth” does not mean that we are granted instant insight into mathematical problems or that we never need to use a dictionary again. It means, rather, that the indwelling presence of the Spirit creates within us a ready familiarity with the things of God. The Spirit-filled believer does not just cognize spiritual truths; he or she recognizes them. They are “familiar” in a literal sense, for the adopted child of God is of the “family” of truth and is naturally at home with God’s truth.

Paul called mature Christians who were sensitive to this divine illumination pneumatics. They discerned the authentic spiritual meanings of Paul’s teachings and built upon them. They enjoyed the special inner freedom that spiritual insight brings. However, it must be stressed that the promise that through the Spirit we can “know all things” (1 John 2:20 kjv) does not rule out the need for responsible Bible study. Both Scripture and history warn against the dangers of subjective revelation and private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). Knowledge of the principles of hermeneutics is essential if we are to understand and interpret Scripture correctly. But given such knowledge, the illumination of the Spirit allows us additional, inspired insight into the meaning of Scripture. Thus the Bible comes to life in a special way for those filled with the Spirit. In this sense we can say that the presence of the Spirit makes possible a pneumatic hermeneutic (RT, pp. 241-42n. 28).

The Holy Spirit’s most important task is to empower believers for witnessing and ministry. If we understand Luke’s Gospel as a record of “all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1), we can see that the book of Acts is a record of what Jesus continued to do and teach through the Spirit. Pentecost transformed Peter from a timid fugitive into a fearless and effective evangelist. Paul was changed from a fastidious Pharisee into a bold miracle worker. These transformed lives illustrate that the gift of the Holy Spirit is not given primarily for personal salvation or sanctification. His purpose is to turn us “inside out” so that we may proclaim the gospel of salvation to others with power and effectiveness. Peter’s simply worded sermon affected the hostile crowd in Jerusalem in such a way that they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). Peter brought his listeners to repentance not through the power of his eloquence, but because the Spirit enlivened his words and used them to pierce their consciences.

The Spirit also witnesses to the truth of the gospel through miracles of healing and deliverance. In the New Testament, miracles were not merely supplemental to the gospel; rather they were instrumental in preaching it effectively. In Book XXII of his fifth-century masterwork, The City of God, Augustine listed some of the many miracles he had witnessed. He concluded: “Miracles, performed to make the world believe, have not ceased now that the world does believe.” Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus the miracle worker continues to be present, confirming the gospel through “signs and wonders” (Acts 4:30).

Jesus said: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21) and: “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing” (14:12). The spread of the gospel today is often impeded by spiritism on the mission field, Western secularism and skepticism, and demonic activity linked to the occult. Faced with these challenges, it is important that we again learn the secrets of “power evangelism” (RT, p. 247n. 52). Then we can preach the gospel “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,” our faith resting not “on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Cor. 2:4-5).

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Holy Spirit, D.4. In individuals,” NIVTSB, p. 75; also read “Demons,” NIDB, pp. 267-68.

Life Application: Read the prayer of the disciples found in Acts 4:29-30. Note the manner in which God answered this prayer (v. 31). Now pray that you, too, may be “shaken” and anointed with the power to witness with boldness and supernatural effectiveness.

Key Concepts:

1. True or False. The Holy Spirit was sent to guide us into truth in general. [237]

2. After Pentecost, the disciples never again referred to the kingdom of God as a restored political ______________. [238]

3. True or False. The fact that we are anointed by the Spirit and “know all things” eliminates our need for teachers in religious matters. [239]

4. Those having a special understanding of spiritual truth because they possessed the Spirit were called (pneumatics, gnostics) by Paul. [241]

5. True or False. To receive the fullness of what Scripture teaches, it is necessary to stand within the same pneumatic experience as the biblical writers. [241]

6. Power for __________________ is the central purpose for the Spirit’s coming in the New Testament. [244]

7. Philip the evangelist was a/an (deacon, apostle). [246]

8. Because of His interest in evangelism, the Holy Spirit may be called a (proceeding, missionary) Spirit. [247]

9. Those harboring sin need forgiveness; those afflicted by disease need healing; those oppressed by demons need ___________________. [260-61]
10. “You cannot cast out the ____________ and you cannot crucify a demon.” [262n.]

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 263-70.

Key Scripture: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:13-14).

Key Words: Arrabon, Ecumenical.

After giving us additional teaching about healing and exorcism, Dr. Williams proceeds to discuss the third purpose for the coming of the Holy Spirit — the certification, attestation, or sealing of the believer. The Greek word for “deposit” in the Key Scripture is arrabon. It was a much-used term in Paul’s day and is found in many ancient Greek commercial documents. The arrabon was part of the purchase price paid for any object or service. For example, a woman who sold a cow might receive one thousand drachmae as an arrabon, or down payment. The arrabon served three purposes: (1) it showed that a contract had been entered into; (2) it established conditional ownership of property; and (3) it was a first installment and pledge of final payment.

Paul also spoke in the Key Scripture of the “sealing” of the believer. Seals served many purposes in the ancient world. They symbolized authority, and certified ownership and authenticity. Seals placed on crates or packages before shipment marked their origin and destination. Romans and Greeks carried the seal or mark of their chosen god, which was thought to link them to that deity and confer divine protection.

God set His seal on Jesus identifying Him as His Son when the Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove at His baptism (Luke 3:22; 6:27). After Pentecost, the Gentiles were sealed and certified as recipients of salvation by their visible reception of the Holy Spirit. The “sealing” wrought by the Holy Spirit thus may be seen as conferring an external certification — to John the Baptist in the case of Jesus and to the disciples in the case of the Gentiles.

But more profoundly, the sealing of the Spirit bestows an internal certification upon the recipient. It makes salvation a real and present reality to the believer. The dynamic presence of the Spirit assures us that we are children of God and allows us to have deeper personal fellowship with Him. Paul calls the Holy Spirit the “spirit of sonship” because He enables us to call God “Abba, Father” as Jesus Himself does. The indwelling Spirit imparts the precious assurance that we are God’s beloved children, well-pleasing and acceptable to the Father. Such an understanding is an incomparable source of confidence, freedom, hope, and joy.

Readers who are married may remember the profound emotions that accompanied the giving and receiving of your engagement ring. The ring was a promise made visible and love made tangible. In its exchange your sense of belonging to each other became powerfully real. This costly and beautiful gift was a token and foretaste of future devotion, sacrifice, and happiness. Through this symbol, the union of your two lives — which would be realized in marriage — became, in some sense, a present, accomplished reality.

Similarly, through the presence and pledge of the Holy Spirit, we are embraced by God. One might even say we are engaged to Him (Rev. 21:2). Through the sealing of the Spirit, our lineage as children of God and our destination — heaven — are both declared. We receive a promise and a foretaste of the blessedness of eternal life. Through the Spirit we are allowed an intimate, indescribable glimpse of the riches that await us in God. As this vision matures, hope becomes faith, and faith becomes knowledge, assurance, and certainty.

Dr. Williams notes that there are ways in which the experience of the Spirit’s sealing may be misunderstood. The assurance resulting from the presence of the Spirit should not be interpreted as evidence of “eternal security” (RT, p. 267n. 114). Nor should the presence of the Spirit be confused with sanctification, especially “entire sanctification” (RT, pp. 269-70).

Two important attitudes born of the Spirit’s presence find expression in the contemporary renewal movement. First, there is a powerful ecumenical feeling among charismatic believers. With a deepened awareness that one is a child of God comes an enlivened recognition that other believers are brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of denominational affiliation. Second, there is a strong eschatological awareness among charismatic believers. Through the indwelling Spirit the spiritual rule and power of God are tangibly experienced. Through Him we taste “the powers of the coming age” (Heb. 6:5), and are illumined even now by the “true light” that remains hidden to the world until Christ returns (1 John 2:8). For this reason charismatic Christians commonly experience a heightened expectation about the Lord’s return as well as an eagerness to see Him face to face.

Further Study: Read “Seal,” NIDB, pp. 909-11.

Life Application: Do you know that God is real, that He is your heavenly Father, that He loves you, and that your sins are forgiven? John tells us that the presence of the Spirit is the key to such knowledge (1 John 3:24). If you need “blessed assurance,” God can give it to you if you are willing to seek Him for it diligently.

Key Concepts:

1. Biblically, the coming of the Holy Spirit served as both an external certification to others and an _______________ certification to believers. [264]

2. The cry “ __________, Father!” arises to God both from our spirit and from the Spirit of Christ in us. [265]

3. If we are children of God, we are also ____________ with Christ. [265]

4. The three elements of “full assurance” are understanding, hope, and ___________. [266]

5. “Infallible assurance” should not be confused with “eternal ______________.” [266-67]

6. True or False. By the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Christ abides in us. [267]

7. Scripture speaks of the Spirit’s inward certification as a ______________ or guarantee. [267]

8. One of the highlights of the contemporary renewal movement is a strong _________________________ awareness based on the sense of the “presence of the future” that the Spirit brings. [268]

9. Some evangelicals confuse the soteriological work of the Holy Spirit (salvation) with His _______________________ work (missions). [269]
10. True or False. The coming of the Holy Spirit brings “entire sanctification.” [269]

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 271-93.

Key Scripture: “Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Gal. 3:2).

Key Words: Ex Opere Operato, Ex Opere Operantis.

We have considered the important roles that the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the believer — to lead us into truth, to empower us for ministry, and to certify our redemption. Now it is time to ask the vital question: “How do I receive the Holy Spirit?”

The basis for the reception of the Holy Spirit is faith in Christ. Faith, like salvation, is a dynamic, changing reality capable of dramatic growth and expansion. Our conversion is an ongoing process. At some point in the past we were saved (2 Cor. 5:17). We are still being saved (2 Cor. 3:18), and in the future we will be saved (Matt. 10:22).

In a similar way, our faith changes and matures as we come to know God more clearly and receive more from Him. Paul’s question, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2), shows that faith is the initial foundation for receiving the Holy Spirit. But it shows as well that the reception of the Spirit for salvation is different from the reception of the Spirit for empowerment. Thus Dr. Williams writes: “There is a certain moment in faith, whether at the outset or somewhere along the way, when the Holy Spirit may be received” (RT, p. 273). This reception may occur at the moment of initial belief, as with the Gentiles at Caesarea (Acts 10:44-46); or it may occur after an extended period, as it did with the disciples and with the believers in Samaria (8:14-17).

The laying on of hands and water baptism were both channels for the reception of the Spirit in Acts. Questions naturally arise concerning what part these practices play in the reception of the Spirit today. Noting carefully the sequence of events in Acts, we find that the Spirit was given both before (10:44) and after (2:38) water baptism. The reception of the Spirit also occurred both with (8:17) and without (10:44) the laying on of hands. Clearly then, neither practice is an absolute precondition for receiving the Spirit. We also must conclude that the mere act of baptism or the laying on of hands does not confer the Spirit automatically (Latin ex opere operato, “by the work performed”). Since faith is the basis of the reception of the Spirit, it is better to say that baptism and the laying on of hands function as channels for receiving the Spirit according to the measure of the openness of our faith (Latin ex opere operantis; RT, p. 290n. 60).

Baptism and the laying on of hands remain important from a sacramental perspective; that is, they serve as outward and visible signs of works of inward and spiritual grace. In this sense they can be instrumental in leading us into the experience of the baptism in the Spirit. They are also important in that they connect us to the community of faith. However, Spirit baptism is not itself a sacrament, but an outgrowth of complete obedience to the Spirit of Christ.

The Key Scripture emphasizes that the gift of the Spirit, like the gift of salvation, is freely and sovereignly bestowed by God. We cannot earn it by works, nor is another kind of faith beyond faith in Christ necessary. There are, however, certain attitudes that make us receptive to the gift of the Spirit. Earnest prayer, sincere obedience, complete yieldedness to God’s will, and a sense of expectancy all facilitate the coming of the Spirit. As we have said, faith is the foundation for the reception of the Spirit. It is, indeed, an apprehension through commitment. Through heartfelt devotion to God, we “see” by faith, apprehending “[he] who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27) and receiving His promises.

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Holy Spirit, E.1. How to receive the Spirit,” NIVTSB, p. 75.

Life Application: Has your faith continued to grow since your salvation? Perhaps the greatest mistake that we can make concerning the Holy Spirit is to think that we have received all that God has to give. We then cease to seek or expect more from God. If the Spirit has come to you in salvation, He can also come to you in power. Pray today to receive the promise of the Spirit, or to be filled anew with His power.

Key Concepts:

1. We receive the Holy Spirit through a belief directed to (the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ). [272]

2. True or False. The reception of the Holy Spirit always occurs at the moment sins are forgiven. [273]

3. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples (forty, fifty) days after they believed in the risen Christ. [273]

4. The Samaritans, Saul, and the Ephesians received the gift of the Holy Spirit (before, after, while) believing in Christ. [275-77]

5. The Gentiles at Caesarea received the gift of the Holy Spirit (before, after, while) believing in Christ. [277]

6. Those in Jerusalem at Pentecost, the Samaritans, and the Ephesians received the gift of the Holy Spirit (before, after, while) being baptized. [279-80]

7. The Caesarean Gentiles and Saul received the gift of the Holy Spirit (before, after, while) being baptized. [281]

8. The primary purpose of water baptism is to represent forgiveness of ____________. [283]

9. True or False. Water baptism and the laying on of hands are necessary preconditions for receiving the baptism of the Spirit. [282, 287]

10. True or False. Water baptism and the laying on of hands are unrelated to receiving the baptism of the Spirit. [285, 288, 290]

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 293-306.

Key Scripture: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

Key Word: Brokenness.

In this lesson we focus again on the practical question: How can I receive the gift of the Spirit? In answer, Dr. Williams discusses at greater length the context in which the reception of the Holy Spirit occurs. Note that we are not outlining conditions that must be met before the Spirit may come. The baptism in the Spirit is a gift freely given to those who place their faith in Christ. It can no more be earned than the forgiveness we receive at salvation. Still, we can examine the attitudes and atmosphere that open us to the Spirit’s presence.

Ultimately, the coming of the Spirit depends solely on God’s sovereign timing and will. Nothing we do can force God’s hand in this matter. The disciples, who had lived with Jesus for three years, waited patiently and prayed solemnly through the days preceding Pentecost before the Spirit was given. Yet the Gentiles in Caesarea received the Spirit before Peter even finished presenting the gospel to them! Like the disciples, our role is simply to wait and pray with expectant faith. We need not agonize or despair about the Spirit’s coming. God does not love us any less before we receive the gift of the Spirit. Our sole responsibility is to ask, seek, and knock. It is God’s responsibility to respond as He wills.

The Key Scripture underscores the importance of actively seeking the gift of the Spirit. It tells us that God does not give the Spirit randomly or automatically, but “to those who ask.” Prayer accompanied the reception of the Spirit for the disciples, for Paul, and even for Jesus Himself. The contemporary renewal movement, likewise, had its beginning in persistent, unrelenting prayer. God wants us to petition Him for the gift of salvation and for the gift of the Spirit. We may wonder why this is the case, since Scripture tells us that God delights in giving His children gifts. The answer is that prayer’s purpose is not to persuade God to give us a divine gift, but to prepare us for its reception.

Reception of the Spirit is never delayed by God’s reluctance, but it is sometimes delayed by our own unwillingness. We may not truly want God’s gifts with our whole heart. Prayer is the process through which we discover and alter such hidden resistance to God. In the silent illumination of prayer we feel God’s eyes upon us. In the light of those eyes we are chastised, we are educated, we are consoled, and we are healed. As we learn to offer more of ourselves to God in prayer, we are strengthened to receive more of His divine life within us. Through prayer we do not change God’s will; God’s will changes us. We begin to will in time what God wills in eternity. When our will is thus transformed, it is not surprising that God’s Spirit finds a home in our hearts.

When we understand what prayer really is, it becomes obvious that it is impossible to pray well without living obediently. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15-17). Peter speaks of the Holy Spirit as He “whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). From these scriptures we see the importance of obedience in preparing to receive the Spirit. Those who manifest righteousness in their words and actions are fitting vessels for God’s Holy Spirit. This does not mean that we must be completely sinless before receiving the Spirit. Were this the case we could never receive the Spirit. What is required is that we confess and sincerely repent of conscious sin and live in a way that pleases God. We must be holy in the original sense of the word “holy,” that is, “set apart” to God.

The slogan most associated with the renewal movement is the proclamation “Jesus is Lord!” This is not surprising, since the role of the Spirit is to testify about Christ. But it is significant, too, that the slogan tells us something about the context in which the Holy Spirit is received. The Spirit comes to those who have accepted Jesus as Lord as well as Savior. They have made a conscious decision to yield to His direction in every area of their lives. They strive to be totally surrendered and totally available to Him.

Attaining such yieldedness is not a matter of doing works of righteousness. It cannot be accomplished by an act of the will. It is, rather, the fruit of what many Christian writers have called brokenness. Brokenness is a work of grace that creates in us a humility greatly pleasing to God (Ps. 51:17). When we realize that we cannot bring forth true obedience or holiness on our own, we are forced to turn to God in self-despair (Rom. 7:14-25). Then — and only then — does God become truly free to perform His deeper work in us. Yielding to God on this level is an act of faith; indeed, it is the profoundest expression of faith.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a promise from God to all believers (Acts 2:39). We should therefore seek it with expectancy. If God’s will is to form Christ in us (Gal. 4:19), it is certain that we both need and can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Holy Spirit, E.2. Being filled with the Holy Spirit,” NIVTSB, p. 75.

Life Application: Personalize the truths you have learned in this lesson by praying with Dr. Williams. Confess your sins to God, especially those that you feel are standing in the way of greater surrender to Him. Yield to Jesus not only as Savior, but also as Lord of every aspect of your life. Give Him the worship of your obedience. Surrender your body, mind, and tongue to His control and expect Him to manifest His presence. If possible, have someone lay hands on you and pray for you to receive the Holy Spirit.

Key Concepts:

1. (Prayer, Fasting) was the context by which the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus. [295]

2. (Persistent, Sporadic) prayer may be called the attitude, context, or atmosphere in which the Spirit is given. [296]

3. True or False. Luke 11:5-8 suggests that the Father only grudgingly gives His Spirit. [296]

4. (Peter, Paul) was on a housetop in Joppa praying when representatives from Cornelius arrived. [297]

5. “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who ___________ him” (Acts 5:32). [298]

6. True or False. One must be without sin to receive the Holy Spirit. [301]

7. ____________ of Tarsus was a self-reliant and proud man whose will was broken on the road to Damascus. [302-3]

8. ______________________ may signify not only submission to God but submission to other people. [303-4]

9. Yielding is an act of ___________. [304]

10. Because the gift of the Holy Spirit is a promise from the Father, we should pursue it with a sense of __________________. [305]

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 307-21.

Key Scripture: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).

Key Word: Koinonia.

When we read about the actions of the disciples on the day of Pentecost, we are struck by the extraordinary freedom they displayed. God’s presence was so overpoweringly real to them that their fears of social censure, arrest, and death were, in comparison, dim realities. Their experience of God was like a “spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14), bearing them forward upon a great cresting wave of joy.

Faced with the ferocious hatred of the Sanhedrin, Stephen displayed no fear. As he testified before the hostile council, “his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). When his judges unleashed their fury upon him, Stephen was transfixed, his attention elsewhere. “Full of the Holy Spirit,” he saw “heaven open” (7:55-56). What Stephen saw was so real to him that he called out to those around him — even his enemies — to “Look!” and see for themselves. As they rained their deadly hail of stones upon him, Stephen’s heart so overflowed with the reality of Jesus’ love that his last words were a prayer of forgiveness for his murderers.

Any objective reader of the New Testament can see that the disciples, Stephen, Paul, and others in the book of Acts were transformed by an encounter with the miraculous. For them God was neither a phantom of wishful thinking nor a mere philosophical concept. He was a breathtakingly vivid, living reality. Through the presence of the Spirit, God became an undeniable part of their personal experience. This was the Spirit’s effect on Christians in the first century, and it is the same today.

The awareness of God mediated by the Spirit brings unspeakable joy. It is a joy that suffering and fear cannot obscure or dilute. Unlike pleasures derived from earthly things, it is a joy that is not dependent on external circumstances. It is the antidote to the inner uncertainty at the root of all mental anguish and to the fear of death that casts its shadow across all human happiness.
Only through the deepened fellowship with God that the Spirit brings can we find true fullness of joy. The blessedness of this fullness moved Paul to speculate with awe concerning “what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). It caused the author of Hebrews to call the Holy Spirit the “oil of joy” (1:9). Those who discover for themselves the reality of the Holy Spirit continue to testify of the supernatural joy they experience. They taste this joy not only in their initial baptism in the Spirit, but also in their continuing praise of God and in their deepened adoration and heightened spontaneity in worship.

The unshakable knowledge of God’s reality brought about through Spirit baptism makes possible great boldness in speech and action. Knowledge of God creates confidence in God and an abiding sense of His encircling love and protection. John wrote: “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). In light of God’s sovereign love, we, like the martyrs of the early church, can testify fearlessly to the reality of Christ in the face of ridicule and persecution. We have more than courage; we have the experiential certainty that as long as we do not step out of God’s will we can ultimately come to no harm. The indwelling fellowship of the Spirit gives us confidence that whatever our external circumstance, to paraphrase the old hymn, “It is well with our souls.”

Finally, the coming of the Holy Spirit brings deepening of fellowship between believers. This “pneumatic fellowship” or koinonia is described in Acts 2:42-47. Some have suggested that the reason communism attracts so many sincere devotees is that it is a secular counterfeit of the koinonia only the Spirit can create and sustain.

Today the Spirit is at work exploding the barriers between Christians of different denominational and confessional alliances, just as He broke down the barriers between Jewish and Gentile believers in New Testament times. The unity of believers revealed by the Spirit is not rooted in agreement about fine points of doctrine. It is rooted in the fact that we share a community of being, having all been “baptized by one Spirit into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). All believers thus partake of the same spiritual reality. Jesus’ final prayer on the night of His crucifixion was that His followers might be unified (John 17:20). Because of sin, people are naturally and perpetually in conflict with one another. For this reason, Jesus saw that unity among His followers would be the ultimate proof that His claim to be God’s Son was true and that the spiritual transformation made possible through His Spirit was genuine (v. 21). When Christians learn to love one another as Jesus loved, the world will see and believe.

Further Study: Read “Fellowship,” NIDB, p. 352; also review the scriptures listed under “Joy, B. The nature of true joy,” NIVTSB, p. 91.

Life Application: Are you satisfied with the spiritual joy in your life? Your ability to praise God under any circumstances? Your courage and conviction to witness to unbelievers? Your feelings toward other Christians, particularly those with different theological and denominational affiliations? Using what you have learned in this lesson, list some ways you might resolve these shortcomings.

Key Concepts:

1. The initial effect of the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost was a strong sense of God’s _______________. [307]

2. True or False. The book of Acts records simply the acts of men — the Apostles. [308]

3. When the Holy Spirit is received, there is a great upsurge of _______. [309]

4. The Holy Spirit brings _________________ in speech and action. [311]

5. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the martyr _______________ preached the gospel with boldness before the Jewish council. [312]

6. _________, filled with the Holy Spirit, pronounced a temporary blindness upon the sorcerer Elymas. [313]

7. The Greek word _____________ denotes the community or fellowship brought about by the presence of the Spirit. [314]

8. True or False. Ananias sinned by continuing to own property rather than donating it to the Spirit-filled community. [316]

9. The renewal in the Holy Spirit is the most profound _________________ development today because it fosters unity in the church. [318]

10. The continuing ____________ of God characterizes those filled with the Holy Spirit. [319]

Key Scripture: “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).

In this final teaching on the coming of the Holy Spirit, Dr. Williams answers some key questions that highlight the main points of our study.

Q. How does the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost relate to our present situation?

A. Pentecost was not simply an isolated event in church history, as some teach. Our study of Acts has shown that the Spirit was poured out not only upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, but also upon others afterward. Acts is really a record of ongoing “pentecosts.” Such “pentecosts” have continued to occur throughout the centuries. (See RT, p. 257n. 78.)

Peter identified the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost as a gift intended for all believers who desire it (see the Key Scripture). “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Paul asked the Ephesians (Acts 19:2). He thought this an important question then, and it remains an important question today. We continue to need the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective servants and witnesses for our Lord.

Q. How are salvation and sanctification related to the gift of the Holy Spirit?

A. Clarity regarding this question is vital if we are to have a biblically accurate understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit. First, we should recognize that both salvation and sanctification are evidences of the Holy Spirit at work within us. Prevenient grace, repentance, conviction of sin, and the fruit of the Spirit are all signs of the active presence of the Spirit.

But neither salvation nor sanctification are synonymous with what we call the gift of or baptism in the Spirit. Baptism in the Spirit is a work that builds upon and transcends the Spirit’s earlier works of salvation and initial sanctification. Through this baptism, the believer is empowered for service in a new way. Devotion to God and sensitivity to His indwelling power and presence are deepened. After being empowered by the Spirit, we are better able to follow Jesus and to carry on His work and ministry.

Q. Are there many baptisms in the Spirit; that is, can one be baptized in the Spirit more than one time?

A. Like water baptism, baptism in the Holy Spirit is not repeatable. However, Scripture tells us that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit many times. Indeed, we need continuously to seek to remain filled with the Spirit in order to live lives fully pleasing to God.

Q. Are tongues really necessary? Must I speak in tongues?

A. If we were to ask whether tongues are necessary for salvation, the answer would be no. One may even receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues initially. But the question is really a misdirected one because it implies that tongues are a burden, or are undesirable in some sense. This attitude is rooted in misconceptions concerning the nature of tongues, or in ungrounded fear that glossolalia involves surrendering our reason or self-control.

We would do better to ask: May I speak with tongues? Tongues, like prophecy, healing, and miracles, is a gift of the Holy Spirit, not a burden or obligation. Tongues are given to us for our edification so that we might build ourselves up spiritually (1 Cor. 14:4). It is a privilege and a joy to be able to praise God in other languages and to feel the Holy Spirit and the human spirit working together in intimate harmony.

Q. Why is there so much neglect in this matter of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit?

A. Traditionalism, ignorance, and fear have lead many churches to ignore this dimension of Christian experience or to interpret it strictly in terms of sacramental theology. However, with the arrival of the renewal movement both Catholic and Protestant theologians and lay-persons have rediscovered that God can manifest Himself in intimate, powerful, and supernatural ways to those who are open to His Spirit.

Q. Do the effects of the Spirit’s coming invariably continue?

A. No, the Spirit of God is a dynamic reality. To retain a sense of the Spirit’s presence we must, in Paul’s words, “keep in step” with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). Lack of prayer, neglect of the gifts of the Spirit (including tongues), negligence in Bible study, forsaking fellowship with believers, and participation in sin grieve the Holy Spirit within us (Eph. 4:30) and quench His power (1 Thess. 5:19). Daily repentance allows Christ to cleanse us continually of sin (1 John 1:9). The Spirit will continue to “come” to us anew as long as we allow ourselves to be led by Him.

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Baptism of the Holy Spirit,” NIVTSB, pp. 18-19.

Life Application: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? If not, have you been taught that the baptism in the Spirit is not available today? Review the study materials until you are satisfied that the testimony of Scripture about this issue is clear to you. Consider carefully the Key Scripture, the events recorded in Acts, and such relevant passages as Joel 2:28, Luke 11:13, and John 16:7.

Did you receive the gift of the Spirit, yet stand in need of a fresh filling? Have you perhaps quenched the Spirit? Pray for forgiveness and amend your life in the appropriate way. Read Psalm 51 and commit yourself to the Lord anew.

Key Concepts: [All answers above]

1. True or False. The book of Acts records only one Pentecost.

2. The gift of the Spirit cannot be received unless __________________ has occurred and sanctification has begun.

3. True or False. The gift of the Spirit is always received at salvation.

4. We experience only one baptism in the Spirit, but may have many ________.

5. True or False. It is necessary to speak in tongues to be saved.

6. Tongues is a (gift, obligation) that accompanies Spirit baptism.

7. __________________________, ignorance, and fear have caused some churches to fail to teach the baptism in the Spirit.

8. True or False. We can quench the power of the Holy Spirit.