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

Receiving The Holy Spirit (4) – Special Efforts – Laying Hands

3. Is the Holy Spirit received by the Laying of Hands by the Apostles or the Church Elders?

In the afore-mentioned incidences one of the things mentioned is the laying of hands by the Apostles, after which the Holy Spirit was received; therefore it is also said, once again wrongly, that the Holy Spirit is received through the laying of hands by the Apostles or the Elders of the Church. This related fact of the Bible, ‘laying of hands,’ has many meanings. In context of our discussion the important thing is that except for the above three examples, it has never been associated with the receiving or giving of the Holy Spirit. Therefore to ascribe this as being the one and only meaning to it and teach this as the sole meaning is incorrect in light of God’s Word. ‘Laying of hands’ is a big topic in itself, that has different applications in the Old and the New Testaments. In the New Testament it has been used for blessing (Matthew 19:13, 15), providing healing (Matthew 9:18; Luke 13:13; Acts 9:12, 17), being commissioned for a special God ordained responsibility (Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6), and it also shows conveying solidarity by making the person a co-worker in the ministry and of accepting the person (1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22).

In context of the receiving of the Holy Spirit in the above three incidences, the implication of ‘laying hands’ is to convey to those people that they were accepted as one in the Lord, i.e., by the laying of hands those Jewish Believers and Apostles conveyed to those people, that they too are one in the Lord along with the Apostles and Elders in the assemblies of the Christian Believers; by virtue of being in the Lord they are now just like everyone else (Acts 15:7-9). Take note, Peter did not even have to lay hands on anyone in the house of Cornelius; as soon as they believed the gospel given to them by Peter, the Holy Spirit spontaneously came upon them (Acts 10:44; 11:15). An interesting fact is that later on the brother of the Lord, James, speaks of asking the Church Elders to apply oil and pray for the healing of physical illnesses (James 5:14-15), and writes that the prayer of faith would bring healing as well as forgiveness of sins. But neither James, nor anyone else at any other place in the New Testament, has ever said that the Christian Believers should ask the Church Elders to lay hands and pray and they will receive the Holy Spirit. This teaching too is nowhere in the Bible, and those who give this teaching misinterpret and misuse the teachings of the Bible.

- To Be Continued

Next:: Is Tarrying required to receive the Holy Spirit? Part (1)

Receiving the Holy Spirit Part 3 – Special Efforts – Through the help of Apostles and Elders (3)

2. Is the Holy Spirit received through the help of Apostles or Elders of the Church?

(Part 3 – Understanding the three examples)

Now, in the light of the above let us understand the three examples: The First thing, that has already been stated, is that – in none of these examples did anyone ever express any desire, or pray, or ask or do anything special to receive the Holy Spirit; when they received the Holy Spirit, they received it in God’s time and through God’s way. Only one had wanted to have the ability to be able to give the Holy Spirit to others, Simon the sorcerer, and he was not really saved;  he was severely condemned for asking this, and was asked to repent! The Second thing, these three categories, different from the Jews – Samaritans, Gentiles, and followers of John the Baptist, their coming into the Christian Faith and receiving the Holy Spirit is only mentioned in the Book of Acts – which is the historical record of the initial deeds and practices of the first Church. Once, when people had come and become one by faith in the Church of the Lord, joined into His body, then never again in any of the Epistles (which are a record of the instructions given by the Holy Spirit to discard, correct and set right, or take up and apply many teachings, beliefs, practices and rituals etc. in the Churches), has it ever been stated or taught that after having come into the Christian Faith any Believer has to ever do anything else to receive the Holy Spirit, and neither has any significance of the different social backgrounds of any of the believers ever been stated. The Third thing, never ever have these three categories of non-Jewish people used as an example in God’s Word, to give the teaching, that like them, to receive the Holy Spirit the mediation or help of an Apostle or Elder, or any special person is required. In the Epistles the responsibilities of the Church Elders and leaders are stated, but it is never stated that they should help the people to receive the Holy Spirit. The Fourth thing on the basis of these incidents, let alone any doctrine or teachings, not even the slightest of hints has ever been given, that these incidents are examples that to receive the Holy Spirit one has to wait for some time, or to do something special, and that the Holy Spirit is not given spontaneously on its own on coming into the Christian Faith.

In other words, the incidences given in the Book of Acts, were only examples to illustrate the merger of all the non-Jewish background Believers along with the Jewish background into one Church. Once the Church was formed as one through the assimilation of all the various categories of people, there remained no reason to look at them as different from one-another in any way. In the third of these incidences, the question asked by Paul to the followers of John the Baptist is very important, in context of the initial reasoning – that the Holy Spirit, is received immediately on coming into the Christian Faith, and is another of its affirmation. Paul asked, “...Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him, We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit ” (Acts 19:2). In other words, it was the natural expectation of Paul that when they had come into the Christian Faith, they would have received the Holy Spirit at that time itself. But it becomes apparent from the rest of the conversation (verses 3-7) that they had not actually come into the Christian Faith, therefore there was no question of their receiving the Holy Spirit. And at the very moment they actually came into the Christian Faith, they received the Holy Spirit as well.

So, to use these examples to say and teach that the Holy Spirit is received separately is to misunderstand and misinterpret the facts related to this matter. Doing this is to draw and teach wrong conclusions that have no support from the Word of God. When these incidences are seen in their proper context and along with other related teachings from the Word of God, the truth becomes apparent.

- To Be Continued

Next: Is the Holy Spirit received by the Laying of Hands by the Apostles or the Church Elders?

Receiving the Holy Spirit Part 3 – Special Efforts – Through the help of Apostles and Elders (2)

2. Is the Holy Spirit received through the help of Apostles or Elders of the Church?

(Part 2 – Some other teachings to be kept in mind here)

 Before looking further at this point in detail, it is necessary to take note of some related things:

The Unity of the whole Church: For this please read Ephesians 2:12-22 attentively, prayerfully, and repeatedly. The summary of this passage from Ephesians is that before the salvation and reconciliation with God made available for the whole world through the Lord Jesus, amongst the people of the world the Law of the Lord, His teachings and instructions, and the methodology of the way to approaching God was available only with the Jews. This was a matter of great pride for the Jews, and because of this they considered themselves over and above every other nation and people of the world. But now, after being brought together into one by the Lord Jesus, all of these things have been made available to every person in the whole world, no longer are they the monopoly of the Jews – now all the Christian Believers on coming into faith in the Lord Jesus have been made one, after becoming one in the Lord Jesus there remains no differentiation between the Jews and gentiles, and all are together being made the one dwelling place of God by the Holy Spirit, by being built on the foundation of the teachings of the Prophets and Apostles (Ephesians 2:20-22) – on one teaching, through one Spirit, for one God, as one kind of people, joined together, made effective, and all being used together (Ephesians 4:4-6), without any distinctions of any kind whatsoever.

The social categorization prior to unification: At the time of the establishment of the first Christian Believer’s Assembly, from the point of view of the Israelites, the society had four broad categories of people – (1) Jews, the chosen people of God; they had with them God’s Law, His rituals, and His Word; they had with them God’s Temple and the responsibility of worshipping Him and praying to Him; therefore they considered themselves to be of the highest order amongst all of mankind, they felt that there is no one like them and neither ever can be. (2) The Samaritans, who were not fully Jews, and not entirely gentiles, but somewhere in between the two. The Jews did not consider them as equivalent to them, but the Samaritans believed themselves to be the descendants of Jacob, and followed the Jewish Law, worship, and rituals (John 4:9, 12, 20, 25), and therefore like the Jews, they felt themselves superior to the gentiles. (3) The gentiles, who were not even considered worthy of being God’s mercy or His favor; the Jews considered it abhorrent and blasphemous to have anything to do with them (Acts 10:28). (4) The disciples of John the Baptist, from whom Peter and Andrew etc. had come to the Lord Jesus (John 1:35-42); the disciples of John the Baptist were Jews, but because of having become his followers, they were seen as somewhat different from the rest of the Jews. To all of these categories of people God sent the Christian Believers who had come from the Jews, i.e. Phillip, Peter, John, and Paul with the Gospel. Through the ministry of those Christian Believers who came from the Jews, all those others too received the Holy Spirit, same as the initial Jewish Christian Believers had received, and this, in the Word of God was stated as an affirmation of the Lord’s teaching and as something according to the will of God  (Acts 11:15-18).

The point to be understood is that God used the Jews, to unite in Him, all the other people considered different or sub-standard to the Jews – which is a practical application of Ephesians 2:20-22 – bringing everyone together into one body, to be the one temple of God. It was essential to do this, so that those who had become the Christian disciples form the Jews would see for themselves and then understand as well as accept that once in the Lord they are not special, and neither are the non-Jews in any way inferior to them (Acts 10:28, 35; 11:1-4, 18). If this had not been done through the Jewish Christian Believers, and had the understanding and concepts of those initial Jewish Believers, Apostles and Elders of the Church, and other Christian Believers not been corrected and changed, then it would have become very difficult for the Jewish Believers to accept and believe that in the Lord Jesus the non-Jews too have become the same as them, and they too have the same Holy Spirit as them, and they too have the honor of being the children of God, just like them. If this had not been done, then in that condition from the very beginning there would have been a great divide and segregation within the Church, which would have been extremely difficult to overcome later on. In this context, it is important to note that despite so many proofs and explanations, this differentiation and divisiveness did not immediately go out from the initial Church, discrimination continued to occur (Acts 6:1); Satan misses no opportunity to sow divisiveness amongst the people of God.

- To Be Continued

Next: Understanding the three examples

Receiving the Holy Spirit Part 3 – Special Efforts – Through the help of Apostles and Elders (1)

2. Is the Holy Spirit received through the help of Apostles or Elders of the Church?

(Part 1 – Three Examples)

Some other examples that are misinterpreted and misused to try to prove that the Holy Spirit is received separately, and not immediately on believing on the Lord Jesus, are:

·         The people of Samaria receiving the Holy Spirit through Peter and John (Acts 8:14-17);

·         Peter going and preaching in the house of Cornelius – a gentile, and those gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts chapters 10, 11);

·         The disciples of John the Baptist receiving the Holy Spirit through Paul (Acts 19:1-7)।

Here too, if we be careful to not fall into the same two errors in interpretation, then it becomes clear that these examples too are not in any manner teaching that the Holy Spirit is received separately, or by some efforts, or by the mediation of some servant of God – do take note that in each of these three situations not even one single person receiving the Holy Spirit had ever made any request or prayer to receive the Holy Spirit, nor did they make any special effort or say some special prayers for it; and neither did any of the Apostles or disciples of the Lord ask them to express any desire to receive the Holy Spirit। They all received the Holy Spirit from God spontaneously; and not because of any pleadings by them.

There was only one person who had asked this special gift of giving the Holy Spirit to people be given to him – Simon the sorcerer of Samaria, although he too had allegedly believed and taken baptism, so to say, (Acts 8:13) but he had not actually received salvation! And Peter severely condemned this desire of his, saying that his heart was not right on this, and asked him to repent and ask God to forgive him (Acts 8:18-23). Other than this one person there is no other person who has ever made a special request to receive the Holy Spirit, and neither has there been any Apostle or disciple who has ever given this teaching or instruction to make some special efforts, or special prayers, or to tarry to receive the Holy Spirit! This simply is not a teaching of the Bible.

- To Be Continued

Next: Some other teachings to be kept in mind here

Receiving the Holy Spirit – 2 – Special Efforts – On Asking – Luke 11:13 (Part 3)

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

Receiving the Holy Spirit – 2 – Special Efforts – On Asking – Luke 11:13 (Part 2)

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 Third Thing)

(3) Third Thing, understand this giving and receiving by an example; when a patient goes to a doctor and asks for healing, then is the ‘healing’ some object on the table of the doctor or a toffee in his pocket that he can pick up and hand over to the patient and say, “here, take; given you the healing you asked?” Surely the doctor wants to give healing to the patient who has come to him for help,he is willing to do it, but there is a method, a process by which the patient receives the healing form the doctor, and without following it, it is not possible for the doctor to give or for the patient to receive the healing – in this process the doctor asks the patients to undergo some tests, prescribes appropriate medicines, tells of certain things to abstain from, the patient has to take the medicines and abstain from some things for a prescribed period of time – i.e. he has to diligently follow the instructions given for the process only then does he receive the healing. Similarly, the Lord too wants to give and certainly gives the Holy Spirit to His disciples for their help, because that is the ministry for mankind ordained by the Lord for the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-15). Now take note again, as in Luke 11 में, similarly here in John 14 and 16 as well this is said only for the disciples.

In other words, receiving the Holy Spirit is only possible for those who really are the disciples of the Lord, not through or because of their having been being born in a particular family or having fulfilled and followed certain rituals and practices ordained by man in the name of God, but through an honest heartfelt repentance from their sins, having asked the Lord’s forgiveness for their sins, having completely submitted their lives to the Lord, and made the commitment to live in obedience to His Word, have made their decision to follow Him, to be His disciples.

This is also a fact that everyone who claims to be a disciple is not actually a disciple. Many associate with the Lord for their physical needs (John 6:26-27); and many have made the Christian Ministry a means of temporal earnings, to gather worldly wealth in the name of the Lord (Romans 16:18; 1 Timothy 6:5; 2 Timothy 3:4; Titus 1:11; 2 Peter 2:3, 13; Jude 1:12, 16). Many join themselves to the Lord but do not actually believe in the Lord (John 6:36, 64; 8:30-31); and many are not willing to accept and obey every teaching of the Lord (John 6:66). Many stay in the gatherings of Christian Believers as people of the Lord, but actually are Satan’s people (2 Corinthians 11:13-15), and are the cause of divisions, strife and troubles in the Assemblies (Acts 20:29-31; 1 John 2:18-19; 2 Timothy 3:5, 8; 4:14; 3 John 1:9-11). The Lord has very clearly said who actually is His disciple (John 8:31-32; 14:21, 23), and from these verses it is clear that the true disciple or Believer is one who lives in obedience to the Word of God, does according to the will of the Lord, and is committed to live a life fully surrendered to the Lord; and not one who although takes the name of the Lord but lives and does according to his own desires.

The Lord knows the actual state of every person (John 2:25; 2 Timothy 2:19). Now naturally the question arises that will the Lord give the Holy Spirit to anyone like the above mentioned people, who put up a pretense of being the people of God but actually are not, will He give the Holy Spirit so casually? Those who have no place for the Word of God or of His obedience in their lives, how can they receive the Holy Spirit? Will these people also not have to become an actually Born Again, saved, obedient, and committed disciple of the Lord to receive the Holy Spirit? And the process for this to happen is only one, that which has been given above to be saved or be Born Again. What it means is that the Lord surely does give the Holy Spirit to His Believers, but only to those who have actually been saved, who have really been Born Again, those who in realty are the true disciples of the Lord – only as per His assessment; not otherwise.

- To Be Continued

Next: The Related Fourth Thing and Conclusion