Receiving The Holy Spirit (5) – Special Efforts – Tarrying (2); Inference

4. Is Tarrying required to receive the Holy Spirit? Part (2)

On the day of Pentecost when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, and then Peter preached with the power of the Holy Spirit, then the devout Jews present there asked Peter what should they do to be saved (Acts 2:37); then “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit ” (Acts 2:38). Take note, Peter said to them that on believing they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; he did not ask them to wait for the Holy Spirit after having believed. Peter’s preaching was immediately after his receiving the Holy Spirit and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, by the effect of his preaching, through repentance and believing, the first assembly of Christian Believers was going to come into existence. The incidences and things related to his preaching and its consequences were going to form the fundamental doctrinal practices of the assemblies of Christian Believers world-wide in the days to come, as the teachings of Acts 2 are for us today. Therefore if tarrying to receive the Holy Spirit was necessary, then its explaining through the living and evident example of Peter and the other disciples assembled there, and by having that explanation too recorded along with the other teachings given by Peter, would have been the best possible opportunity to have this established as a doctrine or rule for the assemblies of Christian Believers. But this was not done; not then, and not later on in any epistle or in any teaching in the New Testament. But what was always said was that by true repentance and actually coming into faith in the Lord the Holy Spirit too would be given spontaneously. If the above three examples are considered once again in this context, then too it becomes apparent that as soon as they came to the Christian Faith the Holy Spirit was given to them immediately, without any mention of any tarrying for it. This is an open and evident truth of the Bible that never, in the whole of the New Testament, has it ever been said to any one that they need to wait for receiving the Holy Spirit after their repenting and coming to faith in the Lord.

Today some people, by wrongfully taking these verses related to waiting as their basis, have contrived their doctrine of waiting or tarrying to deliver themselves from their predicament. Because, as we have seen in the discussion on Luke 11:13, there are some people in the Christian assemblies, who appear to be the believers and followers of Lord Jesus, but have not truly submitted themselves to Him and are not factually in the Christian Faith, therefore they never receive the Holy Spirit. To such people, either because of having no other explanation or answer, or because of not having the courage to speak up the truth, the Pastors and Elders of the Church often say that on the basis of Luke 24:49, and Acts 1:4, 8 they need to tarry for receiving the Holy Spirit and according to Luke 11:13 they need to pray to the Lord for it. Whereas what they actually need to do is to truly repent, to really completely submit themselves to the Lord, and to actually become obedient to Him and His Word, instead of getting entangled in these unbiblical teachings contrary to God’s Word, and wasting their time in them.

5. Doing something special to receive the Holy Spirit – Inference

In our discussion on receiving the Holy Spirit, in relation to the three examples discussed above and their related incidences, the point to be paid attention to, is that these incidences too do not prove that to receive the Holy Spirit any special or extra efforts, or mediation by anyone is required – as is often quite emphatically but absolutely falsely stressed upon and taught by some. There is no example in the Bible which can be used as the basis to substantiate the claim that to receive the Holy Spirit one has to pray and to plead before the Lord, or to make any other efforts, or require the help of anyone special in the ministry of the Lord, or to spend some time waiting to eventually receive the Holy Spirit. Just as it is with salvation, similarly with the receiving of the Holy Spirit – neither of them is in any way under the direction or control of any person, nor of any man made rules, rituals, or practices, or of any works of any kind. If the Believer is okay in the sight of the Lord, then the moment he comes to the Christian Faith and is saved, he is also given the Holy Spirit by the Lord for his spiritual security and guidance in the Christian life, for directing him in his day-to-day life and for spiritually nurturing him.

- To Be Continued

Next: What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? (1)

Receiving The Holy Spirit (5) – Special Efforts – Tarrying (1)

4. Is Tarrying required to receive the Holy Spirit? Part (1)

On the basis of Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4, 8 it is said that the Lord Jesus Himself has said to the disciples to wait to receive the Holy Spirit. Therefore to teach that waiting for the Lord’s opportune time for receiving the Holy Spirit is consistent with God’s Word, and should be done. But in drawing this conclusion those two mistakes are being repeated once again – taking out of context, and not keeping in mind the related other teachings. No doubt that the Lord had asked His initial disciples to tarry or wait to receive the Holy Spirit, but the main purpose of that tarrying was for those disciples to prepare themselves for the Great Commission entrusted to them by the Lord, for which they required the power of the Holy Spirit; it was not simply for the sake of receiving the Holy Spirit without having any God ordained purpose for their Christian lives. It is very clearly seen here that the Lord first gave those disciples His ministry that He wanted them to do, He then commissioned them for that ministry, and after that came the empowering for that stated ministry – every related thing and every step decided and directed by the Lord, according to His will. What people want to do and teach today would is nowhere, not in the least, like what the Lord had said and done at that time. 

Today, all that people like to say and preach is that once they have the power then they will see how they can use it. God never does anything without any purpose or merely for the sake of somebody’s ‘enjoying the experience.’ Today people are asked and taught to pray and tarry for receiving the Holy Spirit, just for the thrill of it; for the exhilarating experiences that would come along with that! Those who want to have the Holy Spirit in such manner, have no understanding or idea of what God has called them for; and neither do they have any idea of the cost that they may have to pay to serve the Lord; they are just told and taught to ask for the Holy Spirit and have the wonderful experience, the exhilaration of receiving Him and His gifts. This is absolutely unlike the tarrying that the Lord had asked His initial disciples for. The Lord had never stated this as a doctrine or teaching applicable for the disciples in the days to come. If it is said that this was a doctrine or rule given by the Lord, then this too will have to be accepted that in the very first preaching of the gospel, for the very first Christian disciples, in Acts 2:38 Peter immediately broke this rule, ignored this doctrine, and he was un-hesitantly disobedient to it – if this is true then how come the Lord’s blessings and support was there for an act of disobeying the Lord, how is it that the Lord allowed disobedient people to work in His Church? On the other hand, if the Lord’s blessing and acceptance were there – as is quite apparent, then this too is apparent that it was not disobedience; meaning there was no such rule or doctrine laid down by the Lord, and to tarry was an instruction meant only for those initial disciples of the Lord – and that is what the truth is.

- To Be Continued

Next:: Is Tarrying required to receive the Holy Spirit? Part (2); Inference