How to Receive the Holy Spirit

Is the Holy Spirit a gift from God?

Acts 10:45 “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.”

2 Timothy 1:6–7 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

How readily did Jesus say God will give us His Holy Spirit if we ask for it?

Luke 11:10–13 “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!”

How do we know that God will hear us when we ask Him in prayer?

1 John 3:22 “and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.”

Are repentance, belief, and baptism initial steps in our obedience to God, after which He is bound to keep His promise to give us His Holy Spirit?

Mark 1:14–15 “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

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

Notice the stress placed upon obedience, upon submission to the will of God - to the law of God. God will give His Holy Spirit only to those who have demonstrated - both by ATTITUDE and ACTIONS - that they have truly repented and want to obey Him.

Jesus said in Luke 22:42 “...yet not my will, but yours be done.”

God wants to see a a submissive, obedient attitude in us BEFORE He gives us His Spirit. If we surrender unconditionally to God, He will give us His Spirit.

We have already studied the subjects of repentance and baptism. We will be doing an in depth study of those two topics over the next few Friday nights, to prepare for Baptism on Friday September 25. But just to review; REPENTANCE means to turn around and go the other way - to forsake all of your ways which have been contrary to God’s law, and turn to God’s way, which is the way of obedience to His laws.

God makes it very plain that no one who continues to practice sin as a way of life will ever be born into His universe-ruling family.

Galatians 5:19–21 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

All who desire to become members of God’s Family and co-rulers with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God must stop sinning now - stop breaking His law! All must REPENT of rebellion against God and begin to literally OBEY His Word. They must submit to His authority over their lives by keeping His commandments!

After belief and sincere, heartfelt repentance, the next step toward becoming a Christian is water baptism. Baptism is an outward symbol; of our repentance of our old sinful disobedient life - of our complete departure from our old sinful way of living - and of our willingness to obey God in every way.

Once you have taken these steps, then you are unconditionally promised the Holy Spirit after prayer and laying on of hands by one of God’s true ministers.

God has bound Himself to perform His part if you first perform yours.

God says, ”You shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

It is an absolute promise of God to those He has called! Acts 2:39 “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.””

You can ask God thereafter to direct and empower you, through His Holy Spirit, to lead a new life in conformity with His revealed Word - The Holy Bible.

Once we have truly repented, been baptized and have been begotten by God’s Holy Spirit, do we automatically become part of a “body”?

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

The Apostle Paul has drawn an analogy between the human body and God’s Church. He is talking about being baptized - put into - the “spiritual body” of Christ, or the Church of God, by God’s Spirit.

What determines whether or not a person is a member of the Church of God?

Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”

Those who have not received God’s Spirit are simply not a part of the body of Christ - they are not real Christians! And God promises to give His Spirit ONLY to those who truly repent of sin and are baptized! But after we are baptized and begotten by God’s Spirit - what then?

What did Christ commission His ministers to do for those He has put in His Church?

Matthew 28:19–20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

John 21:15–17 “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Notice the last three words of each of those three verses in John 21 “FEED MY SHEEP”

1 Peter 5:1–3 “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

For what purpose are God’s ministers to “feed” Christ’s sheep?

Ephesians 4:11–15 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

God has set His called and chosen ministers in His Church to “feed the flock” so they may grow spiritually.

As I mentioned to you in a recent message entitled “Born Again?”, it is the human father that begets children. He does not “bring forth”; the mother does that, later. After the father’s part, which initiates the process, there is always a span of time prior to birth. So just as a human mother feds her begotten child within her womb, God’s children are nourished spiritual food within His true Church..

Spiritually, God’s true Church is the “mother” of all who have been begotten by His Holy Spirit and remain faithful.

Galatians 4:26 “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.”

Hebrews 12:22–23 “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,”

Christ has given His ministers the responsibility to instruct, teach, and counsel the members of the Church.

And as a human mother carries her unborn baby in that part of her body where she can protect it from physical harm, God’s true Church also protects the begotten children of God from spiritual harm, such as false doctrines of false ministers.

Through this “feeding” process, in addition to personal Bible study and prayer, each Christian receives the spiritual nourishment necessary to be born at Christ’s Second Coming as a member in the joyous, universe ruling Family of God!

After you receive God’s Holy Spirit, you will begin to sense a remarkably thrilling change in your mind - in your attitude and approach toward life. And as you grow spiritually, you will experience steady growth in godly character, a new insight in your understanding, a rejuvenated zest for life and a fantastically happy outlook toward the future!