The Holy Spirit (Part 9)

What is the reception of the Holy Spirit?

Promised - "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

"And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:  Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.

"And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.  For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance (or salvation), As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls" (Joel 2:28-32).

Awaits Christ's glorification - "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:38, 39).

Realized at Pentecost - They were in one place and with one accord when there suddenly came a sound from heaven like a rushing wind.  It filled the house where they were sitting.  Then what appeared to be divided tongues of fire sat upon each of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  Devout Jews from every nation were present and they came together when the sound occurred and were confused when they heard the disciples speaking in their languages.  They asked among themselves, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?  And how is it that we hear, each one in our own language (dialect) in which we were born?" (Acts 2:1-21).

They heard the disciples speaking "in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."  They wondered what this could mean (Acts 2:-8, 11, 12).

Others who were present mocked, saying that the disciples were drunk (full of new wine) Peter stood up and explained what was happening.  Rather than being drunk, he and the other disciples were fulfilling the prophesy of Joel 2:28-32.

The devil tried to attribute the work (filling of) the Holy Spirit to drunkeness but God used this as an opportunity for Peter to speak to the people. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Peter, told the people present of the things of God and the ministry of His Son, Jesus, His death and resurrection.  The Gospel was preached to the people and about three thousand souls were saved on that day.

Realized by Gentiles - And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also (Acts 10:45).  These Gentiles spoke with tongues and magnified God.  Peter commanded that they be baptized for they too had received the Holy Spirit (verses 46, 47).

Can be sinned against - "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31, 32).

Jesus said this because the Pharisees had committed the unpardonable sin when they blasphemed the Holy Spirit.  They di this when they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the rule of the demons."  We learn that Beelzebub is really Satan because Jesus said, "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?" (verses 24, 26).

Contingent - Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).

"And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit Whom Go has given to those obey Him" (Acts 5:32).