Acts 2 was the chapter that prompted my study of the Holy Spirit this week, and I can assure you that there is still so much more left to discover. I hope that this blog post leaves you hungry for more, because I can only give you a small taste, and I pray you will join me in seeking the filling of the Spirit on a daily basis.
I grew up Southern Baptist, and I am a Southern Baptist preacher's wife. So studying the Holy Spirit is foreign territory for me. It's not that Southern Baptists don't believe in the Spirit, it's just that we are scared of being too charismatic; so it's easier just to read the stories and treat them as church history instead of recognizing that the Holy Spirit is Christ's gift to us personally. I am thankful that God sent His Son Jesus as a physical being with whom we can relate. It makes it easy to envision walking through Galilee with Jesus and his disciples, and we can relate to Jesus as a tangible God. But sadly, we hang on to Jesus alone like Mary did in the garden, and we miss out on the power of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised would always be with us. Jesus told his disciples in John 16 that it was best for them that he was returning to heaven; only then could the Spirit come. The only reason you and I can enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus is because the Holy Spirit lives in us, teaches and reminds us of the Scripture, interprets and communicates between us and the Father, and gives us personal guidance and direction if only we will listen to him. Girls, when the Holy Spirit lives in you, you have access to the very power of God that raised Jesus from the dead! (Romans 8:11)
I want you to do a topical search of the Holy Spirit on biblegateway.com. Before you begin reading, will you pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all wisdom? Will you ask Him to fill you and to speak directly to you? Will you ask Him to be personal with you? Jesus is the hope of the gospel and the fulfillment of the promise of salvation. The Holy Spirit is the power of the gospel. Let's not miss Him!
Before I leave you, I want you to help me with a struggle I have with this question: How does the Holy Spirit come? In Acts 2, the Spirit came with noise and a mighty wind in the form of fiery tongues. I want to see that video when we get to heaven! In the remainder of Acts, the Holy Spirit came when the apostles prayed for believers and laid hands on them. In one instance, the Holy Spirit took control of the Gentiles listening to Peter preach. As Southern Baptists, we teach that a person receives the Spirit at the time of salvation. I want to know what you believe and why. Will you post your thoughts in the comments so we can work through this together?
Thanks so much for joining me on this journey of faith as we glorify the Lord together!!
I grew up Southern Baptist, and I am a Southern Baptist preacher's wife. So studying the Holy Spirit is foreign territory for me. It's not that Southern Baptists don't believe in the Spirit, it's just that we are scared of being too charismatic; so it's easier just to read the stories and treat them as church history instead of recognizing that the Holy Spirit is Christ's gift to us personally. I am thankful that God sent His Son Jesus as a physical being with whom we can relate. It makes it easy to envision walking through Galilee with Jesus and his disciples, and we can relate to Jesus as a tangible God. But sadly, we hang on to Jesus alone like Mary did in the garden, and we miss out on the power of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised would always be with us. Jesus told his disciples in John 16 that it was best for them that he was returning to heaven; only then could the Spirit come. The only reason you and I can enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus is because the Holy Spirit lives in us, teaches and reminds us of the Scripture, interprets and communicates between us and the Father, and gives us personal guidance and direction if only we will listen to him. Girls, when the Holy Spirit lives in you, you have access to the very power of God that raised Jesus from the dead! (Romans 8:11)
I want you to do a topical search of the Holy Spirit on biblegateway.com. Before you begin reading, will you pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all wisdom? Will you ask Him to fill you and to speak directly to you? Will you ask Him to be personal with you? Jesus is the hope of the gospel and the fulfillment of the promise of salvation. The Holy Spirit is the power of the gospel. Let's not miss Him!
Before I leave you, I want you to help me with a struggle I have with this question: How does the Holy Spirit come? In Acts 2, the Spirit came with noise and a mighty wind in the form of fiery tongues. I want to see that video when we get to heaven! In the remainder of Acts, the Holy Spirit came when the apostles prayed for believers and laid hands on them. In one instance, the Holy Spirit took control of the Gentiles listening to Peter preach. As Southern Baptists, we teach that a person receives the Spirit at the time of salvation. I want to know what you believe and why. Will you post your thoughts in the comments so we can work through this together?
Thanks so much for joining me on this journey of faith as we glorify the Lord together!!
I love this article Dana! Yes, many Southern Baptist seem to be leary of charasmatic religion and fail to develop their relationship with Holy Spirit. I believe He does come in us at the time of our salvation. However I also think that He quietly guides and teaches us until we acknowledge Him and develop a relationship with Him as I believe are the ways of the Father and Son as well. I think that He works quietly in us until we invite Him to the forefront of our lives. He is the ULTIMATE gentleman! I can't imagine how life was before Jesus and the Holy Spirit came to us. I believe when we are ready for that relationship He can come like a roaring wind or a gentle breeze according to what is right for the individual at the time. It is sad that some Christians miss some of the richness of the walk not knowing what all is available through that precious relationship with Holy Spirit due to the avoidance of confusing, high energy worship. However, a relationship with the Holy Spirit is so special and precious that it definitely fills you with joy and excitement! I love the work you do! You are an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robbie, for putting into words what I was thinking. I really want all of us to stop ignoring or overlooking the Spirit of God within us. Because He is such a gentleman, He does not force us to notice Him, but He is grieved when we fail to tap into the power He has in reserve for us. I am so thankful that you are my soul sister and that we can spur one another on to joy and excitement in the Holy Spirit!
DeleteI love John 14 where Jesus is telling His disciples that He will not leave them as orphans but He will ask The father to send them another comforter, The Holy Spirit. He will live in us forever. He will guide us and teach us all things. He will empower us to be His witnesses. Romans 8 says he will pray through us the will of God with groaning's that can not be understood. He is the still small voice inside of us, saying this is the way walk ye in it. He is the deposit, the foretaste of things to come. He has sealed us until the day of redemption. He is the promise of The Father to those who seek Him earnestly.
ReplyDeleteWe have this treasure in jars of clay. The Holy Spirit. Praise God for His precious gift to us who are His children. Whether He comes to us in a still small voice or with tongues of flaming fire, I say come Holy Spirit. We need you now more than ever.
Yes, Cheryl, thank you for pointing out so many of the key references to the Holy Spirit that are found throughout Scripture. We tend to think the Spirit only works in the background, when He is in fact the source of power and the initiator of the movement of God in us. You and Robbie both pointed out that the Holy Spirit comes to us in a very personal way, just the way we need Him at the time. Currently, I am seeking His on fire filling. I am ready for the mighty movement of the Spirit in me! Right now I am super excited because God is teaching me so much about His Spirit. Not only is He teaching me through this chronological study on my blog, but our guest speaker taught on the Spirit yesterday, and the Sunday School lesson I will teach next week to my 4th, 5th, and 6th graders comes from Acts 2. I have a sweet friend who always said that when God tells you something three times, you better pay attention. So, I echo your words, Cheryl, COME HOLY SPIRIT, COME!
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