Upwards Church

http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

The following Spiritual Gifts Inventory is a discovery tool that provides you with a personalized analysis. Not a test, but a simple questionnaire giving you a profile of your God given spiritual gifts.

Discovering and exercising your God-given spiritual gifts allows you to experience maximum fulfillment with minimum frustration in your Christian life and ministry.

INSTRUCTIONS

This questionnaire will help you identify your God-given spiritual gifts. While there are many spiritual gifts, this evaluation covers the nine task-oriented gifts used in daily life to do the work of Christian ministry. Every Christ Follower has a dominant gift and many possess more than one. Through this analysis, you will find out in which areas you are “less” gifted and will also discover your dominant task-oriented gift. You can then begin to concentrate on further developing your dominant gift as you exercise it in daily life and in your local church ministry.

The following 108 questions or statements deal with your feelings and desires, so be sure to let your responses reflect your own opinions of yourself. As you read each question or statement, click the button in front of the most accurate answer: Almost Always (if the statement fits you 70% to 100% of the time), Occasionally (if the statement fits you 40% to 70% of the time), or Not Very Often (if the statement fits you less than 40% of the time). Remember, this is a self-evaluation; there are no “right” or “wrong” answers.

When you have completed the questionnaire, you will be able to view a bar graph of your scores for each gift, a description of your dominant gift, and several pages of personal analysis. You will also have the opportunity to print out the results.

Click Here to Begin:  http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

Thanks so much for your interest in Spiritual Gifts

I pray you are encouraged and empowered as you discover how the Holy Spirit has gifted you for ministry.   Let me know if you have any questions.  I am saying a prayer for you right now.

Darrell

Jesus prepared his followers for his physical absence by telling them that they would experience his presence more fully and intimately because the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would take up residence in them. Among the resources that the Spirit brings to our lives will be:

• A awareness of God’s love
• A sense of guidance and purpose in life
• The power to obey Jesus;
• The realization that we are united in relationship with God
• A recognition and understanding of truth.

Jesus reminded the disciples that his promised resources would be essential for spiritual survival.  He would only be with them a while longer, but he did not want them to be unduly troubled. If they endured the difficulties by trusting in his promises, the hard times would prove to be only temporary. Christ’s promises are as real and necessary for us today as they were for that first small group of followers

John 14: 16  “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.“^NIV Various translations use different words for the Holy Spirit here: Advocate (nrsv), Helper (nkjv), Comforter (kjv). The Greek word parakletos denotes the Helper or Counselor who is always there to give special care in times of need. But the Holy Spirit is more than a Comforter, Helper, and Consoler; he is also an Advocate and an Encourager. In this context, it is also clear that the Holy Spirit is the Son’s “Representative,” even as the Son was the Father’s “Representative.”

The expression another Counselor ( allon parakleton) means “another counselor of the same kind as the first.” This implies that Jesus was the first Counselor (see 1 John 2:1), and that the Spirit would be the same kind of Counselor. When Jesus would no longer be with the disciples physically, the Holy Spirit would be their constant companion to guide, help, and empower them for the tasks ahead. Jesus identified the Counselor as the Spirit of truth because he is the Spirit who reveals the truth about God .

LIFE APPLICATION – THE HOLY SPIRIT

Jesus would soon leave the disciples, but he would remain with them. How could this be? The Counselor—the Spirit of God himself—would come after Jesus was gone to care for and guide the disciples. The regenerating power of the Spirit came on the disciples just before his ascension (20:22), and the Spirit was poured out on all the believers at Pentecost (Acts 2), shortly after Jesus ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within all believers, helping us live as God wants, and building Christ’s church on earth. By faith we can appropriate the Spirit’s power each day.

The following chapters teach these truths about the Holy Spirit:

He will be with us forever (14:16).

The world at large cannot accept him (14:17).

He lives with us and in us (14:17).

He teaches us (14:26).

He reminds us of Jesus’ words (14:26; 15:26).

He convicts us of sin, shows us God’s righteousness, and announces God’s judgment on evil (16:8).

He guides into truth and gives insight into future events (16:13).

He brings glory to Christ (16:14).

The Holy Spirit has been active among people from the beginning of time, but after Pentecost (Acts 2) he came to live in all believers. Many people are unaware of the Holy Spirit’s activities, but to those who hear Christ’s words and understand the Spirit’s power, the Spirit gives a whole new way to look at life.

“The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.”^NIV It may seem at first that the world cannot accept the Spirit because of its sin and disobedience. But if that were the case, no one could accept the Spirit, for all of us sin and are disobedient. Instead, the world cannot accept (or receive) this Spirit of truth because the world does not see him or know him—the world does not, indeed refuses to, understand the Spirit; and because of that lack of understanding, they cannot accept him. In the same way that Jesus was not accepted by the world (see 1:11-12), the Spirit would also not be received. But the disciples (and all believers) can receive the Spirit, for Jesus said, “But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”^NIV The disciples, sinful men, not clear in their understanding at this point, even somewhat greedy in their quest for positions in God’s kingdom, would be able to know the Spirit, for the Spirit would come to live in them, helping them understand and empowering them to do great works for God. The world has refused to know Jesus; but any sincere seeker, no matter how sinful or how ignorant, who humbly comes to Jesus, can receive this gift of the Spirit.

LIFE APPLICATION – THEY CAN’T SEE OR UNDERSTAND

Jesus later pointed out that the Holy Spirit works in the world (16:8) convicting people of sin. People may become aware of their sin but they will not recognize how they came to this awareness. Several factors prevent people’s understanding the Holy Spirit until after they have believed in Christ:

The Holy Spirit speaks a heavenly message (the words of Christ). His message of service, sacrifice, and faith is unintelligible to those who have not yet known Christ.

The Holy Spirit reverses one’s way of thinking. People naturally place themselves at the center of everything. The Holy Spirit places Christ and his purposes at the center.

The Holy Spirit begins with a different starting point. People tend to refer to their own needs and desires first. The Holy Spirit makes the love for Christ and obedience to God the starting point.

14:18-19 “I will not leave you as orphans.”^NIV This statement showed Jesus’ fatherly care for his own, those whom he loved (see 13:1); it also affirmed Jesus’ presence with the disciples through the Spirit of truth, for he went on to say, “I am coming to you.”^NRSV After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to the disciples in his glorious resurrection body and spoke to them prior to returning to the Father (20:19–21:25). At that time he breathed into his disciples the Holy Spirit (20:22). This assured the disciples that Jesus would come to them when the Spirit was given to them.

This coming would be but “in a little while,”^NRSV during which time Jesus would experience crucifixion, burial, and resurrection (see 16:16-23).

“The world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.”^NIV The disciples and many of Jesus’ followers saw him in his resurrection appearances (see 20:20, 26; 21:1, 14). Through the Resurrection, the living Jesus became the disciples’ life because they became united to him like branches in a vine. This is the intent behind the words: “Because I live, you will live also.”^NKJV As the Son’s life is dependent upon the Father’s life (5:26; 6:57), so the believer’s life is dependent on the Son’s life. The reality of the Resurrection becomes the basis for our hope of eternal life.

14:20 “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”^NRSV That day is the day of Jesus’ resurrection. After the Resurrection, the disciples would realize by their own experience that Jesus lived in his Father, and they lived in Jesus, and Jesus lived in them. In other words, they would begin to know what it meant to live in God and have God live in them.

14:21 “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”^NRSV We who love Jesus demonstrate our love by keeping Jesus’ commands. Love means more than words; it requires commitment and action. If we love Christ, then we must prove it by obeying what he says in his Word. In return, the Father and Jesus himself love us. Furthermore, Jesus reveals himself to those who love him. Since the Greek word translated “reveal” means “to appear,” it is likely that Jesus was speaking of his appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. But the statement extends beyond that special time to include believers of all time. To all those who love and obey him, he reveals himself as an invisible, spiritual presence (see 20:29; 2 Corinthians 4:6).

LIFE APPLICATION –IF ONLY

“If only God would show me what to do! I wish God would reveal himself!” In personal experience, most Christians admit to wishing God would reveal himself more openly. We want God to show us exactly what he wants us to do. We may think we are asking God for clear directions so we can carry them out, but our practice shows that we want to know first what God wants us to do so we can decide if we want to obey.

Jesus listed obedience before revelation. He said, in effect, “Obey what you know and you will know more.” The Scriptures contain many clear instructions for obedience that are never out of season. If we truly love God, we not only hang on his every word, but we also take our duties seriously. When we feel confused or lack answers, we should ask how we can follow through on directions he has previously given.

14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”^NRSV John clarified for us that this is not Judas Iscariot, but Judas the son of James (see Luke 6:16). This disciple asked Jesus how he would reveal himself to the disciples and not to the world. The disciples may still have been expecting Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom and overthrow Rome; they found it hard to understand why he did not tell the world at large that he was the Messiah. Or at least they felt that if he was going to rise from the dead, everyone should see it and know about it, for surely then they would believe. But Jesus explained that such a revelation to the world was not in the plans—at least not then. Not everyone would understand Jesus’ message, and a hardened and unbelieving world would not believe even someone who had come back from the dead (Luke 16:31). Ever since Pentecost, the gospel of the kingdom has been proclaimed in the whole world, and yet not everyone is receptive to it. Jesus reveals himself most deeply to those who love and obey him.

14:23 “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”^NRSV In effect, Jesus’ response reassured Judas and the disciples that neither he nor the Father would be abandoning them. At first it must have seemed to the disciples that they had no advantage over everyone else—Jesus would die and leave them. In answering Peter’s question in the previous chapter, Jesus had explained that, as opposed to the Jewish leaders who had been told they could not go where Jesus was going, the disciples eventually would be able to be with Jesus, but it would be later (see 7:32-34; 13:36). Here Jesus offered the best comfort of all—there wouldn’t really be any separation from him for these disciples. Because Jesus would return to the Father, the Holy Spirit would be made available, allowing every believer constant access to the Father and the Son. To those who love Jesus, the Son and the Father will come and make a permanent home with them.

LIFE APPLICATION –LOVE AND OBEY

Some people have taught that keeping Jesus’ words is too stringent or unrealistic. “We are under grace,” they say, “not under law, so why should we even worry about keeping commandments?” The key question isn’t really about what words to keep or how to keep them, but whether we still love Jesus. Do we relate to him mainly as a traditional religious figure, an object of curious historical study, a source of interesting biblical discussion, or an optional model among many equally qualified persons? Or do we know him as Lord and Savior of our lives? The following questions should clarify our thinking:

Are we grateful he found us even though we were not truly seeking him?

Are we glad he rescued us from sin?

Are we thrilled he chose us to be his followers?

Are we excited about his presence in us and his words of guidance?

Are we considering daily how to be more aware of his directions for us?

Are we making his will the central pursuit in our vocation, education, and family life?

14:24 “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.”^NRSV Obedience comes from love and trust. Thus a person who does not love Jesus will not obey him. A sobering way of stating Jesus’ point is to say, “The quality of our obedience is a direct reflection of our love for Jesus.”

“And the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.”^NRSV Jesus repeated that all he said was from God himself (see also 12:49; 14:10).

14:25 “All this I have spoken while still with you.”^NIV Jesus gave his last words to his disciples. The coming days would bring horrifying and then glorious events, but Jesus would not be able to talk to his disciples during those events. Before the disciples could understand any more, Jesus’ death and resurrection would have to take place. Then, the disciples’ understanding would be heightened by the coming of the Holy Spirit.

14:26 “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name.”^NIV The Holy Spirit would be sent by both the Father and the Son (see also 15:26). In my name means that the Spirit comes in the Son’s name, the name of Jesus Christ, and thereby brings the Son’s presence to the disciples. As Jesus represented the Father, the Spirit represents the Son.

“Will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”^NKJV The Spirit would continue, for Jesus, the ministry of teaching. The Spirit would also remind the disciples of what Jesus had taught. The apostles remembered and wrote with the help of the Spirit. John’s Gospel, even the entire New Testament, would not exist if not for this reminding work of the Holy Spirit.

In the case of the disciples, the reminding role of the Holy Spirit uniquely guided the recording of the New Testament. However, the process is still in place. The disciples first heard Jesus speak; we discover Jesus’ words in Scripture. Reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, and obeying place Christ’s words firmly inside us, and the Holy Spirit reminds us of their further application as we move through life.

Theologians use the term illumination to describe the Holy Spirit’s process of helping believers understand Scripture. Without God, sinful people are unable to recognize and obey divine truths. When a person is reborn, the Holy Spirit helps the person to see God’s Word with the eyes of faith and love. The Holy Spirit also works in the life of the believer, convincing him of the truth of the Bible, keeping him from misconstruing what it really says, and helping him not be distracted so he can see and remember the true meaning of God’s Word.

LIFE APPLICATION – PLANTED TRUTH

Jesus promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them remember what he had been teaching them. This promise ensures the validity of the New Testament. The disciples were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and teachings; the Holy Spirit helped them remember without taking away their individual perspectives. We can be confident that the Gospels accurately record what Jesus taught and did (see 1 Corinthians 2:10-14). The Holy Spirit can help us in the same way. As we study the Bible, we can trust the Holy Spirit to plant truth in our minds, convince us of God’s will, and remind us when we stray from it.

For more about the series, The Holy Spirit, go to www.ridgefellowship.com

Source:  adapted from the Life Application Bible Commentary

The greatest help a believer is to receive is the very presence of God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit. It is this that Jesus now reveals. He reveals the Holy Spirit, His identity, who He is.

(14:16) The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the other Helper. Note four points.

1.  The Holy Spirit is the Comforter.  He is there all the time providing comfort.

2.  The receiving of the Holy Spirit is conditional.   ¹⁵ “If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-– John 14:15-16 (NIV) Note the conjunction “and.” It is the person who loves Jesus who is given the Holy Spirit. Note also that the Spirit is given because Jesus prays for us. He is our Intercessor, the One who pleads our case. It is not that God is unwilling to give the Holy Spirit. That is not the point. The point is that Jesus Christ is our Mediator—our Intercessor—the One who makes it possible for us to receive the Spirit (cp. 1 John 2:1-2). If a person truly loves Jesus, that person is given the Holy Spirit.

3.  The source of the Holy Spirit is “the Father.” It is the Father who gave the Son, and it is the Father who gives the Holy Spirit. The picture is touching in that God is seen longing ever so deeply…

• to give the Holy Spirit to those who love His only Son.
• to do everything He can for the person who loves His Son, and of course the greatest thing God can do is to put His Spirit into a person.

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13).

4.  The Holy Spirit abides forever with the believer. His presence continues and never ends. The idea is that He never withdraws His presence.

(14:17) The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Note three facts.

1.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, the very same Truth that Christ is. He is the Embodiment, the Communicator, and the Liberator of truth

2.  The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit. Note the word “cannot.” It is impossible for the world to receive the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the world of unbelievers does not “see” or “know” the Holy Spirit. The world lives only for what it can see and know, only for the physical and material, only for what it can touch and feel, taste and consume, think and use.

The point is this: unbelievers reject Jesus. They do not love Him, and they care little if anything about Him. They are not interested in seeing or knowing Jesus. The result is natural:

• They do not see the spiritual world or know it; therefore, they do not see or know the Spirit of that world.
• They are unaware of the spiritual world; therefore, they are unaware of the Spirit of that world.
• They do not know and love Jesus; therefore, they do not “know” the Spirit of Christ.

(Note this contrast between the “Spirit of the world” and the “Spirit of God,” 1 Cor. 2:12-14.)

“But the natural man does not recieve the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14;  1 Cor 2:12-13).

3.  The believer does know the Holy Spirit. The believer knows the Spirit both by experience and by His presence.

• The Holy Spirit “lives with” the believer: giving assurance, looking after, caring, guiding, and teaching.
• The Holy Spirit is in the believer: communing, fellow-shipping, sharing, and conforming the believer to the image of Christ.

More Verses:

“Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he lives with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17).

 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).

“For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:12).

“But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God live in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9).

 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

 “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16).

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6).

“That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which lives in us” (2 Tim. 1:14).

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Cor. 2:12).

“Don’t  you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).

“What? Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19).

“And he that keeps his commandments lives in him, and he in him. And now we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us” (1 John 3:24).

“Now we know we that we live in him, and he is us, because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13).

“It is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6).

“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27).

 (14:18-20) The Holy Spirit is the personal presence of Christ. Note four points.

1.  Jesus said, “I will come to you.” He meant that He would return after He had gone away, that is, died. He would come back to give believers His personal presence. He would not leave them comfortless; the word means to be orphaned, to be without parental help, to be helpless. Jesus would not leave them to struggle through the trials of life alone.

Jesus’ presence with His followers began with His resurrection and with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was saying that He would come to the believer in the person of the Holy Spirit.

2.  The world lost its opportunity to see Jesus. He said so. He said that He would be present for only a short time longer, then the world would see Him “no more.” (The next time the world sees Him, He will be coming in judgment.)

3.  The presence of Jesus is a living, eternal presence. He died, but He did not stay dead. He arose and conquered death. He arose to live forever. Now think: if Jesus Christ is living forever and He lives within the believer, then the believer lives eternally. Christ the Eternal Presence lives within the believer; therefore, the believer becomes eternal. He never dies. The believer is made eternal by the eternal presence of Christ within him.

In fact, when Jesus says “I live,” He means He lives abundantly and eternally: He lives life in all of its full meaning. Therefore, by living within the believer, Christ imparts the same kind of life to the believer, a life that is both abundant and eternal.

4.  The presence of Christ is a living union, a mutual indwelling between God, Christ, and the believer. “At that day” refers to Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Now note: when Jesus arose from the dead, believers knew something. His claim was true in an absolute sense. Jesus really was “in” God. God is eternal, so by being “in” God, Jesus was bound to live forever; He was bound to arise from the dead.

Something else was known. All that Jesus had said was true. He was placing all believers “in” Himself and Himself “in” them; or to say it another way, when the Holy Spirit came, believers were placed “in” His Spirit and His Spirit “in” them.

(14:21-22) The Holy Spirit is the very special manifestation of Christ within the believer. Apparently, this refers to very special manifestations of the Lord to the heart of the believer, those very special times when there is deep consciousness of love between the Lord and His dear follower.  When believers go through terrible trials and experience severe crises, God knows and He loves and cares; so He moves to meet the need of His dear children. He moves within the believer’s heart, manifesting His presence and giving a deep sense of His love and care, helping and giving confidence, forgiveness, and assurance—giving whatever the believer needs. The depth of the experience and the intensity and emotion of the special manifestation depends upon the need of the believer. God knows and loves His dear child perfectly, so He gives whatever experience and depth of emotion are needed to meet the need of His child. We must always remember that God loves each one of us so much He will do whatever is needed…

• to lift us up.
• to strengthen us.
• to conform us to the image of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Note that the special manifestations of the Lord’s presence are given only to the believer who does two things.

1. The believer who has Jesus’ commandments receives the special manifestations of the Holy Spirit. To have His commandments means that the believer has searched and possesses the commandments of Jesus Christ. He has them in his heart, knows them, has made them his own (cp. Psalm 119:11).

2. The believer who keeps the commandments of Jesus.

The believer who does these two things shows that he truly loves the Lord Jesus, and he that loves the Lord Jesus shall be loved of the Father and the Lord will love him as well. In fact, the Lord will manifest Himself to the believer who hides His commandments in his heart.

Note an important fact: the special manifestation is questioned. Judas asked the question for the first time, but the special manifestation of Christ’s presence has been questioned and doubted by thousands ever since. Judas was thinking like all men think—in terms of a physical manifestation, a visible appearance.

(14:23-24) The Holy Spirit is the enduring presence of the Trinity. Note the words, “My Father…we will come…and make our abode with him [the believer].” Both the Father and Christ come to abide in the believer in the person of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26). All three live within the believer. Note four simple but profound facts.

1.  The abiding presence of the Trinity is conditional: one must obey Christ, that is, love and keep His words.

2.  The abiding presence of the Trinity is the love and presence of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit—all three living within the life of the believer.

3.  The abiding presence of the Trinity is not “in” the man who does not love and obey Jesus.

4.  The abiding presence of the Trinity is assured by God Himself. Note what Jesus said: His words are the words of the Father who sent Him (see note, pt.2—^§John 14:10).

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you . Holy    Father, keep through your own name those whom you havet given me, that they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11).

“And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them, as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23).

(14:25-26) The Holy Spirit is the Teacher. He teaches “all things” which Jesus taught. “All things” means all the things which Jesus taught including the presence of the Comforter (Holy Spirit), who is given to help the believer through the trials of life, and the livng presence and love of the Father and Son.

However, a crucial point must be heeded. The Comforter comes only from the Father “in the name” of Jesus.

• In calling God “the Father,” a Father-child relationship is stressed. One must become a child of God, that is, of the Father, in order to be given the Father’s Comforter.
• The words “in the name” of Christ mean that one must approach the Father “in” the name of Christ, that is, recognizing that Jesus alone is acceptable to God

The purpose of the Holy Spirit as a teacher in the believer’s life is twofold.

1.  To teach all things: both the words and the life of Christ, both the Truth and the Life, both the Word and how to live, both the theory and the practice, both the principles and the conduct, both the morality and the behavior.

2.  To help remember: to help remember all that has been taught in the Word of God, to help especially in the moments of trial when the truth is needed. In a moment of trial the Holy Spirit either infuses the believer with the strength to endure or flashes across his mind the way to escape ( 1 Cor. 10:13).

For more about the series, The Holy Spirit, go to www.ridgefellowship.com

Source:  adapted from the Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary

Verses are from New King James Version of the Bible

This question was asked by Paul to twelve people who claimed to believe and is a great question for us today.  Let’s look at Acts 19 as this question unfolds:

¹ While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  Acts 19:1-2

This passage presents several important lessons on salvation. The lessons must be kept in mind as believers go about the task of proclaiming the gospel of salvation.

I.  Salvation necessitates full belief and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. While ministering in Ephesus, (Acts 19) Paul ran across twelve disciples who had no association with the church at Ephesus. They were either drifting, or else were meeting for worship in another area of the city. They were just totally unknown to the church and to Priscilla and Aquila. In either case, Paul found them, and what results is one of the great lessons on salvation. (Note: they could not have been associated with Apollos, for he would have proclaimed Christ to them after his true conversion.)

Note Paul’s question. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Some have held that these men believed and then the Holy Spirit came upon them some time after their belief. But this could not be the case, for it is contrary to the teaching of Scripture.

They were disciples of John, Jewish proselytes, who were still looking for the coming Messiah (Acts 19:2-4, esp. Acts 19:3-4). They evidently were not Christian believers. They had not been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their belief was incomplete. They believed what John had preached, that the Messiah was coming, but they did not know He had already come in the person of Jesus Christ. They had repented of sin as preached by John, but they had not yet received the saving presence of the Lord Jesus in their hearts and lives. The living presence and power of Christ in the Person of the Holy Spirit had not yet saved them.

Note: Paul did not degrade their incomplete faith. He did not rebuke them for not grasping the full message of John. He approached them in a positive manner. He pointed out that they had done well by repenting of sin, for John did proclaim the baptism of repentance. But John did something else: he proclaimed to the people that…

“They should believe on Him, which should come after him [John] that is on Christ Jesus.”  Acts 19:4

When the twelve disciples heard this, they responded just as they should have: they believed (Acts 19:4), were baptized (Acts 19:5), and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:6).

Note three significant lessons about full belief:

1.   A person can repent and be baptized and still not have received Christ into his life and heart. They can say they believe in Christ and still not have the Holy Spirit. When Paul looked at these men who professed to be disciples, he saw they were lacking something. The lack was visible, and he suspected what it was. They were not bearing the presence and fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

2.  Belief can be incomplete. Note closely: these men believed in the coming Messiah preached by John, and they had even repented and turned from their sin to God. But they still lacked the presence of Christ, that is, of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.   Romans 8:9

How many have changed their lives and are now living moral lives, but still have never accepted the truth of Christ,

• the truth of His coming to earth?
• the truth of His securing our righteousness by living a sinless life?
• the truth of His dying for our sins?
• the truth of His arising from the dead?

Salvation necessitates full belief, believing the truth that Jesus is Lord in the fullest sense of salvation.

3. Note that these twelve were baptized twice.

³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. ⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”  ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.  Acts 19:3-5

A believer is to be baptized after his conversion—in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.   ^“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of   your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy            Spirit.” Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)

II. Salvation necessitates a decision: a person either decides to accept Christ or else he automatically rejects Him. In the case of the audience who heard Paul, many rejected Christ. They just hardened their hearts and refused to believe. For three months Paul preached boldly in the synagogue of the Jews. (Acts 19:8) Note two facts.

1.  Paul “argued persuasively ” the gospel. The word means to reason, discuss, convince, and answer questions. He discussed the gospel, asking and answering questions, convincing all who were willing to be convinced. (Acts 19:8)

2.  Many were hardened and did not believe, being disobedient to the call of God to salvation. (Acts 19:9)

•  The word “hardened” means to harden like a stone; to be unfeeling and difficult, standing in opposition.
• The words “believed not” mean to be disobedient. Take note of this, for rejecting the gospel is not just unbelief. It is much worse: it is disobeying God. God demands that men believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Refusing to believe is outright disobedience, an affront to God, an act of rebellion and hostility against His commandment.

Have you fully believed in Christ?

Darrell

For more about the series The Holy Spirit go to www.ridgefellowship.com

Source:  Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary