PENTECOST WEEK (PART 4)
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:" - Joel 2:28 (KJV).
From the outset, it's important that I let you know that while Jesus Christ is God's Gift to the world (Jn 3:16), the Holy Spirit is God's Gift to His children (Lk 11:13). Unbelievers therefore cannot receive the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:17). To experience Him, you must have repented of your sins and be born again (Acts 2:38).
The impact of God's Spirit upon man is divided into two categories. First, we have the Spirit indwelling and the Spirit out poured. The Holy Spirit in us and the Holy Spirit upon us are not only two different scenarios, they also have different consequences upon our lives. You will recollect that after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, He appeared unto the disciples and breathed into them, saying "Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" (Jn 20:22). This encounter was on Easter Sunday! At a later day, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with other tongues as He gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4). This event happened on Pentecost Sunday. So therefore, the Church was impacted by the Holy Spirit on two different Sundays: Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday.
The question many ask is that if the disciples received the Holy Spirit on the Resurrection Sunday, why should there be the need for another encounter with the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost Sunday, which Jesus Himself spoke about as "the Promise of the Father'' (Lk 24:49, Acts 1:4). The answer is this: when Jesus breathed on His disciples in Jn 20:22, they became born again. By the agency of the Spirit of God they were enabled to experience the new birth and thenceforth, they literally entered into the New Testament salvation. But, to be equipped with the ability to fulfill their calling, they needed more – the gift and the anointing of the Holy Spirit; and this was accomplished on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them.
One major difference between these two encounters is that whereas the first encounter with the Holy Spirit at regeneration (our born again experience) on the Easter Sunday scenario is once in our lifetime, we may experience the Spirit's impact by subsequent infillings (baptisms) as we desire (Acts 2:4,4:31), vide the Pentecost Sunday scenario.
Another marked difference between these two experiences is that the Pentecost episode can only supply gifts for service via the outpoured Spirit, while the Easter Sunday episode supplies fruit (Christlike character) through the indwelling Spirit imparted by Jesus' breath. Pentecost releases power and gifts for service and doesn’t have much to do with sanctification. In consequence therefore, you may find a man very anointed, yet lacking in Christian character. On the other hand, you may also find a man beautifully sanctified, yet lacking in power.
It's the desire of God that His children go through the two experiences with His Spirit. After we got born again, we are commanded to "be filled with the Spirit'' (Eph 5:18). This is so because without being filled with God's Spirit, our Christian experience lacks the vitality that should accompany our being in Christ. To go through the Easter Sunday Holy Spirit experience (being born again) without going through the Pentecost Sunday scenario (Holy Spirit baptism) makes your Christian experience dull, epileptic, inchoate; and lacking the fervency with which to serve the Lord (Cf, Rom 12:11). Ideally, after you gave your life to Jesus, the very next thing is to receive the Holy Spirit (ie, getting baptized in the Holy Spirit). This was the pattern in the apostolic Church era (Acts 8:14-16).
The Christian who functions abundantly in God's Spirit can be sure never to function below capacity both in his relationship to the Lord and in his encounter with satan and his cohorts. Let's not forget that the Holy Spirit in our lives is God with us as our Comforter, Helper, Strengthener, Intercessor, Counselor, Standby and Advocate (Jn 14:16, AMP)
In this forthcoming Pentecost week, if you are not yet born again, seize the opportunity to do so and go to the Lord with an open spirit to receive God's wonderful Gift specially given for the benefit of His Children, the Church (Lk 11:13).
PRAYER:
Dearest Heavenly Father, thank You for the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church. I open up all of my spirit to receive Him into my life, in Jesus name.