In John 14:16,17, we saw that Jesus promised the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit when
He said, ". . . I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter. . . . he dwelleth
WITH you, and shall be IN you."
At the time Jesus was saying this, the Holy Ghost was not yet in the disciples, nor in any of the
followers of Jesus. But Jesus' promise in John 14:16,17 was that under the New Covenant, the
Holy Spirit is to be in all believers. Jesus said to His disciples, ". . . he [the Holy Spirit] dwelleth
WITH you, and shall be IN you" (v. 17).
Jesus' promise to the disciples of the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled in
John 20:21,22 when the resurrected Savior breathed on them and said, ". . . Receive ye the
Holy Ghost."
When Jesus said that, He was referring to receiving the Holy Spirit in the new-birth experience.
That was when the disciples were born again; that was when they were regenerated by the
Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5).
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
However, then as a separate and subsequent experience, Jesus promised His disciples and all
believers the enduement of power from on High.
LUKE 24:49
49 And, behold, I send the PROMISE OF MY FATHER upon you: but tarry ye in the city
of Jerusalem, until YE BE ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH.
In this passage, Jesus is referring to a different working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of
believers — the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon believers to receive an enduement of power
from on High.
ACTS 1:5,8
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY GHOST
not many days hence....
8 But ye shall receive POWER, AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST IS COME UPON YOU:
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The Holy Spirit Upon
Notice the use of the word "upon" in both Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8, referring to the baptism in
the Holy Spirit: ". . . I send the promise of my father UPON you. . . ,"and ". . . ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON you...."
There is a work of the Holy Spirit that God desires in the lives of believers: This is the Holy
Spirit coming upon believers to endue them with power from on High.
Just as the Spirit within in the new birth is a definite experience, so there is also a genuine
infilling of the Holy Spirit which believers can receive today, which is also a definite experience.
On the Day of Pentecost, God gave this outpouring of the Holy Spirit not only to the 120 who
were gathered in the Upper Room (Acts 2:1-4), but to the Church — to all who would believe in
Jesus.
As I pointed out in the previous lesson, it is not a matter of the Father's giving believers the
Holy Ghost. God has already given the Holy Ghost to the Church on the Day of Pentecost. No,
it is a matter now of believers' receiving the Holy Ghost.
FFT:
ACTION POINT:
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