Is doing something special required for receiving the Holy Spirit?
1. Is the Holy Spirit received on asking the Lord for it? – (Luke 11:13)
(The Related Fourth Thing and Conclusion)
(4) On the basis of the above stated
things the Fourth and very important thing that we need to very
carefully understand and then practically apply or follow in our lives is, amongst all those who claim to be the followers of the Lord
there surely will be those who do not measure up to the standard of the Lord
and His Word, therefore there is no possibility of the
Holy Spirit being present in them. The Lord has already cautioned that in these
‘End times’ there will be many so called “Believers” who
will be “having a form of godliness but denying its
power!” (2 Timothy 3:5). Now no
matter how much these people may claim to have faith and reverence in the Lord, no matter for how long they have been a part of the Assembly, no matter how active they may be in the Assembly;
no matter how many wonderful works and preaching they may have done (Matthew 7:21-23), in reality they are not
the true disciples of the Lord and His factually committed and obedient people.
No matter how intensely and for how long they may ask, but
there is no way these people will receive the Holy Spirit unless
they actually become the disciples of the Lord through true repentance, confession
of sins and asking forgiveness for them, surrendering their lives and living in
obedience to the Lord. In contrast there will be those also who have truly
repented from the very beginning, have really become
obedient to the Lord, and have factually surrendered their
lives to the Lord; and therefore the Holy Spirit has come
to reside in them from the very moment they came to faith in the Lord Jesus,
and has become active in their lives.
Now, without paying attention to
the related teachings and facts of the Word, simply on the
basis of their apparent appearance and works, they are
told this as a ‘fact’ that the Holy Spirit is given immediately or soon to
some, but the giving is delayed for some others; therefore
those who have not received Him should pray, fast, or do certain other things,
plead and ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit, is speaking lies
to them in the name of the Lord and presenting an absolutely false meaning of
the Lord’s statement to them. It is giving them a patently
wrong teaching about receiving the Holy Spirit, which is
not in the least consistent with the Word of God, and is
deceiving them. Instead of helping them to see and face
the reality and really be saved, it is pushing them into
hell. And God will take an account from all those preachers, teachers, Pastors and
Church elders who do this, they will not escape (Ezekiel 33:1-9).
Instead, on the basis of God’s
Word, all the preachers, teachers, Pastors and Church
elders should explain and tell to everyone in the Church that since the Holy Spirit comes in the very moment a person
comes to faith in the Lord, without any extra or special
effort, on His own, and always
remains within, never leaving or gong away, therefore
if it seems to them that they do not have the Holy Spirit, then
it can only mean either of two things – either they have
not received Him at all; i.e. their claim of being in the
Christian faith is incorrect, and they should actually
repent and surrender to the Lord. Or, they are not living in obedience and
surrender to the Lord, therefore He is unable to work in
their lives. Therefore either they should ascertain their being Born Again or
saved, else, if their salvation is factual then they
should stop doing according to their will, and start
living according to the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25), so that He can be active
and effective in their lives. The necessity is not of asking for the Holy
Spirit, but the necessity is of really being saved and then being obedient and surrendered
to Him.
Therefore to say on the basis of Luke 11:13 that the
Holy Spirit is received by asking for Him, hence we should
pray and ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit, is having a
wrong understanding and interpretation of the Lord’s statement. It is wrong to
give this teaching on the basis of this verse. On examining this verse in its
true context and along with related verses the truth of the matter can be seen
and understood.
- To Be Continued
Next Topic: Special Efforts - Help of Apostles or Elders Part 1
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