Power to Live By

If you are a Christian, meaning you’ve been born again--you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior--you may find if you try and live a ‘good’ life that you can’t always do so, even though you want to.

How many times do we find ourselves gossiping or criticizing?  Getting so aggravated, irritated or frustrated that we lose our cool?  Not to mention other sins like lying, stealing or sexual sins.  How can we live free from sin?  How did Jesus do it?

Jesus is our example.  Not only is He our Savior by dying to take the punishment for our sin so we can be forgiven, but He also is our example of how to live, (1 Peter 2:21), so how did He do it?

Jesus went about doing good... by the anointing of the Holy Spirit.   He was filled with the Holy Spirit and by the power of the Holy Spirit He did good and healed all who were oppressed of the devil.  God wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit just as Jesus was.  We are the body of Christ, we are His church, we are His representatives and ambassadors in the earth today (1 Corinthians 12:27, 2 Corinthians 5:20). Through the Holy Spirit we too can do good and heal.

Jesus, when here on earth, spoke of a day the Holy Spirit would come to be with His disciples.  (We are His disciples if we believe in Him and follow Him, John 8:31, Acts 21:16).

"If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you for ever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you." John 14:15-17 NKJ

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you...However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." John 16:7, 13-14 NKJ

"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ’If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." John 7:37-39 NKJ

We see a few things from the above passages of scriptures.  First of all, the Holy Spirit is given to those who are children of God.  The world, or unbelievers, cannot receive the Holy Spirit.  Secondly, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, forever. He will also guide us into all truth and glorify Jesus.   Again, He’s given to those who believe in Jesus and He could not be given until Jesus was glorified.

 Separate from the New Birth

After Jesus was risen from the dead He breathed on the disciples and told them to receive the Holy Spirit, (John 20:21-22). But this was not the baptism of the Spirit that Jesus was talking about earlier.  This was the rebirth of their spirit, or them becoming born again by the power of the Holy Spirit.  That’s what happens to us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  But there is a separate Holy Spirit experience Jesus told them about just before He ascended into Heaven:

"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which’, He said, ‘You have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now...But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:4-5,8 NKJ

"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high". Luke 24:49 NKJ

The power of the Holy Spirit is very important for us to receive in order for us to live the life that God wants us to.  To live as Jesus did; to overcome sin, to be a witness to others, to live the abundant life God intends for us, (John 10:10), we need the power of the Holy Spirit.

Notice Jesus said this after He breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit.  He said this right before He ascended into Heaven.  So this baptism or ‘infilling’ of the Holy Spirit was an experience other then when He breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit.  He told them they would receive Him, ‘not many days from now’, that day came on the day of Pentecost.   It was important enough for Him to tell them not leave Jerusalem until they received that power of the Holy Spirit.  We also know the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate experience from the new birth because of Paul's question in Acts 19:2, "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?"  Just the fact that he asked that question shows it's possible to be a believer in Jesus Christ without having received the Holy Spirit.  

 "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:1-4 NKJ

This was the powerful infilling of the Holy Spirit Jesus was talking about.

Let’s read on:

"And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?  And how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born?  Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya and joining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." Acts 2:5-11 NKJ

When they were filled with the Holy Spirit they began to speak in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.  This was not a language any of them had learned with their natural mind.  It was a language given to them by the Spirit of God, and it was evidence that they were filled with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Today

The Holy Spirit was sent here on that day and He hasn’t left.   He’s here to help us, those who believe in Jesus.  The same Holy Spirit, the same evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit-speaking in tongues- is still for the body of Christ today.  Peter responded to those who were confused about what was going on by preaching a sermon to them about Jesus.

"But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy...

"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. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:16-18, 38-39 Acts 2:16-18, 38-39 NKJ

To all that are afar off, that’s us.  This was not an experience just for the disciples.  (There were 120 people in the room who received Him initially).   This is for all believers.  If it was the last days back then, it’s the last days now.

"Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." Acts 8:14-17 NKJ

"And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, ‘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.’ And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ So they said, ‘into John’s baptism.’ Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied." Acts 19:1-6 NKJ

"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" Acts 10:44-47 NKJ

Because the Gentiles were speaking in tongues and magnifying God they knew they had also received the Holy Spirit, just as the Jews who believed in Jesus did.  The evidence that we are filled with the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.

What is the purpose of speaking in tongues?

One purpose is that the Spirit of God within us is praying according to the perfect will of God.

Speaking in tongues also builds up your own spirit, helping you to overcome.

"He that speaks in a tongue edifies himself... " 1 Corinthians 14:4 NKJ

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit," Jude 20 NKJ

And as we saw earlier Jesus said the Holy Spirit is our Helper, the King James says Comforter.  He will guide us into truth.  He will glorify Jesus in our lives.  He will teach us and remind us of the Word of God, (John 14:26).  And He will empower us to live the kind of life God wants us to.  He’s been given to the church and if you are a believer you can receive Him today.  Don’t settle for anything less then all God wants for you.

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:13 NKJ

You can receive the Holy Spirit by asking for Him.  Simply pray to your Heavenly Father and ask Him for the Holy Spirit and receive Him by faith, just like you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior by faith.