Receiving the Holy Spiritናሙና
Is the Holy Spirit for me today?
In a word…Yes! Absolutely!
God promised to pour out the gift of the Holy Spirit on all His people as prophesied by the prophet Joel and as mentioned in the last section. This gift is offered to you, me, and the whole world.
However, there are some Christians who seem not to believe this or are disregarding the word of God in this matter. They have been told that receiving the Holy Spirit and, in particular, the gifts of the Spirit are not for today.
But that is not what the Bible teaches.
The best example can be seen in Acts chapter 2 after the disciples first received the Holy Spirit. Peter stood up and preached concerning receiving the Holy Spirit. He quoted the words of Joel that I mentioned in the introduction and told the people that the promise was also for them, saying:
38 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him." (Acts 2:38-39)
He is speaking about the promise that all can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and it is verse 39 that is of interest to us today.
Peter says that the promise of the Holy Spirit is to those who were there, and their children, and all who are far off.
We are those who are far off. We are far off from those people both in distance and in time. But even if those words do not convince you that the promise is to you, the last words in that verse say that the promise of the Holy Spirit is to, “…every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
Do you believe that God has called you to Himself? I’m sure you do. So, if the Lord has called you, then as Peter said, the promise of the Holy Spirit is to you.
Remember, too, that the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Once given, God does not take back His promises, as it says in Romans 11, verse 29. Adding further weight to the irrevocable nature of God and Jesus Christ, we learn in Hebrews 13, verse 8 that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And finally, in John 14, verses 16-17, Jesus said that He would ask the Father to give us the Holy Spirit to be with us forever.
So, with regard to whether the Holy Spirit is for you and me today, the answer is clearly…Yes.
Call to action:
The promise to receive the Holy Spirit still remains today. The question is, will you avail yourself of God’s gift and the promise of the Holy Spirit?
ስለዚህ እቅድ
If we aim to walk as Christ and His disciples walked, then receiving the Holy Spirit is essential, just as they all received the Holy Spirit. This Bible plan will show the why, how, when, what, and who of receiving the Holy Spirit. And it may surprise you too!
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