The Gift of the Spirit is by Faith

Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Galatians 3:2

The gift of the Holy Spirit is given by Faith. In otherwards one must believe in the giver of the Holy Spirit. Who is the giver? It is Jesus Christ. Listen to what Jesus said.

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;”

John 14:16

Jesus said He would pray to the Father for the comforter to come and be with us forever. Can you imagine what this means? I am still amazed about the Holy Spirit and how the church can so easily overlook its work within the believer’s life. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that the world cannot receive but we who are Christians should know him for He dwelleth within you [see John14:17]. If you are born again and baptized in Christ, you have the Spirit of Christ living inside you. The Holy Spirit will help our walk and give us directions. The Holy Spirit will help us to understand the word of God. The Holy Spirit will open our eyes to see the will of God. We will not stand alone when we acknowledge the Holy Spirit presence in our life.

Look at what happened to those who were disciples of John the Baptist. The apostle Paul asked them if they have received the Holy Spirit since they believed? What was their response? “We have not heard whether there is a Holy Spirit? [see The Acts 19:2-3]. Paul told them that John Baptized with the baptism of repentance, but they should believe in Jesus. Paul laid his hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied [see The Acts 19:4-6]. Can you imagine these disciples of John speaking in tongues and prophesying.

This was my experience. Repentance and knowing that I have sinned. Jesus who for gave me and washed me clean from the guilt of sin. Being born again into a new life to where I could be free from the burden of sin. This is the liberty we have in Christ. This happened in 1974 when the movement of the Holy Spirit [the charismatic movement] begun in Seattle, Washington. I was not the only one, there were others. A group of young people wanted all what God had to offer them. We were hungry for more of God. We ended up at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Seattle, Washington. When the altar call was given, we flew to the alter and Dennis Bennett laid hands upon our heads, and we began to speak in tongues. At the time we did not know anything about the Holy Spirit.

Mainline protestant churches were experiencing outbreak of the Holy Spirit were people spoke in tongues. I was at the time attending the Presbyterian church on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. I was a part of the youth group that meet weekly at the church. I heard from a brother that the Elders of the church had a meeting and announced during a service that I had missed, that the speaking in tongues had to stop. That it was of the devil. I was confused for why would God give us the gift that was from the devil? Later I found that this was really a matter of control within the body of Christ. It was not what the elders would endorse. Having had this experience stunted my growth as a Christian, but I began to read books on the subject and study in the Bible what the Holy Spirit was all about. The issue is ignorance about the Holy Spirit and not moving in the will of God. Remember the apostle Paul said, ” I speak with tongues more than ye all,” [1 Corinthians 14:18].

Needless to say, the charismatic movement carried on in the 80’s and the 90’s here in the Pacific Northwest. As I moved in the Spirit and performed Gospel music in many churches, God was manifesting himself among the people with healing. The Holy Spirit will always point to Christ. If it is any other Spirit that only speaks of itself, it is not the Holy Spirit. John tells us to test the Spirits whether they be of God or not [see 1 John 4:1]. Ask if Jesus Christ is come in the flesh [1 John 4:2]. If they do not answer or state no, it is not of the Holy Spirit. We must grow and know the will of God. There should be no fear when God has supplied us with the answer in the word of God [the Holy Bible]. The Holy Spirit will teach us and show us what we need to know. We can read about the Spirit in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 to 14. Do not deny the Holy Spirit work in your own life. You do not need anyone to lay hands on you today to receive the Holy Spirit. Pray, ask, and believe in faith and receive the Holy Spirit.