LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

There are two major experiences of the Holy Spirit that the believer experiences in their walk with Him. They are the Holy Spirit within us and the Holy Spirit upon us. We have been discussing the fact that the Holy Spirit lives in us and we have talked about who He is on the inside of us and how we commune with Him. Now we will begin to talk about who He is upon us and how we live life in the Spirit. But before we do that let us discuss a bit more about the initial experience of the Holy Spirit within us which happens when we believe on Jesus.

John14:16-17

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Everyone that is a Christian has the Holy Spirit. This is the promise that Jesus gave us. That the Holy Spirit would be with us and be in us. In the previous lessons we have discussed the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us and what that means. Here are a few more examples of this concept;

John4:14

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

When one believes on Jesus the Holy Spirit takes residence on the inside of them and deposits His life in them. He makes them alive on the inside. In their spirit. He becomes a fountain of everlasting life on the inside of them.

John7

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

When we believe on Jesus this is what happens to us. We receive the Holy Spirit. He takes up residence on the inside of us and we become vessels of life. Filled with the Zoe life of God.

Acts8:5-17

5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city. 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

If you are born again you have the Holy Spirit in you. You received the Holy Spirit when you believed in Jesus and became a Christian. The Holy Spirit is the one who made you a Christian and child of God.

However as we can see in the above passage, there is a difference between receiving the Holy Spirit on the inside of you when you became a Christian and being baptized with the Holy Spirit. These people had become Christians when Phillip preached to them and they repented and believed on Jesus. However, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit until the apostles came and prayed for them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts19:1-6

1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

These men had believed on Jesus. That’s why they are called disciples. And that’s why Paul asks them if they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed. Paul was acknowledging that is was possible for one to believe on Jesus and become His disciple and yet not be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This was the case with these twelve disciples and it is the case with millions of believers around the world. They had never even heard of the Holy Ghost.

They then told him that they had been baptized with the baptism of John. This was when one was baptized with water unto repentance for the remission of sins. It was the water baptism that one had when they repented of their sins and turned to Yahweh

These disciples had been born-again through hearing the good news about the Messiah having come to bear their sins on the Cross but they had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Just like the majority of believers today.

It is most likely that it is Apollos who had preached to them the gospel and got them born again. In Acts18:24 we see that Apollos is the one who had evangelized this region right before Paul came in Acts19:1.

This is important because according to Acts18:24-26, Apollos was an eloquent preacher but knew only the baptism of John. He didn’t know anything about the Holy Spirit and after preaching Aquila and Priscilla had to take him aside and explain to him more accurately and fully the revelation of the New Testament and the Holy Spirit.

So Paul explains to them this new birth and the baptism of Jesus, they accept and are re-baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, then he lays hands on them and they immediately receive the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues and prophesy

There is a second experience that happens after you have become born again which the bible calls the baptism of the Holy Spirit.