- Understand the importance of the indwelling for you and others--having the Holy Spirit is a salvation matter.
- How do we know we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
- The Spirit is how we know we are a people of God or not a people of God.
- How do you better understand “being in step with the Spirit?”
Question to ask throughout: What does each passage teach us about the Holy Spirit?
John 1:33
- Spirit descended and rested on Jesus when He was baptized by John the Baptist.
- Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit--what does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?
Ephesians 1:13-14 (also 2Corinthians 5:5)
- Sealed with the promised Holy Spirit as a down payment--guaranteeing what is to come!
- Biblically speaking, the point in time when you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the only mention of a salvation that is guaranteed.
- Where do you receive the Holy Spirit?
Acts 2:4, 38-39 (also see Acts 10:44; 5:32 and Galatians 3:26-27; 4:6)
- The apostles were all “filled with the Holy Spirit,” empowering them to speak boldly and in other languages (on-dwelling of the Spirit, which we will get into more in further studies).
- Ref. apostle Peter’s quotation of Joel in Acts 2:17-21: Outpouring from God’s perspective, baptism (overwhelming) from human perspective (pouring water over a coin is a good example).
- It wasn’t for show, but had a great purpose: getting the gospel out.
- Peter gives them the answer to accepting the gospel personally: Repent (inward transformation) and be baptized (dip, immerse) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- It doesn’t say they all started performing miraculous signs and wonders, speaking tongues, etc., but the receiving was indwelling.
- This process describes the point that you receive salvation (John 3:5; Romans 8:9; Titus 3:5)
1Corinthians 12:12-13
- Here is another description of a baptism of the Spirit (back to John 1:33 and similar passages), where this baptism by the Holy Spirit is when a person is spiritually born into the body of Christ.
- Henceforth, just as a new birth spiritually involves water and the Spirit (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), so baptism is immersion in water (Acts 8:36) and the Spirit (1Corinthians 12:13).
- Where actually three stand as testimony of this guaranteed salvation: Spirit, water, and blood (To be inspired with confidence on high read 1John 5:6-12)
Acts 19:1-7; John 7:38-39
- They hadn’t received the Spirit, which accompanies forgiveness of sins.
- They already believed in a sense higher than most people today mean belief. People today do not have nearly the same level of sacrifice by simply professing faith in Christ, whereas Jews in first century Palestine would have a big challenge (John 8:30-32 is what Jesus said to similar Jews).
- They didn’t receive the Holy Spirit when they believed because they hadn’t been baptized into Christ (Romans 6:1-4) and received the indwelling of the Spirit, as we saw back in Acts 2:38-39.
- Apollos and the disciples of John the Baptist were still functioning under the Old Covenant, without a full understanding of the New Covenant salvation through Christ, although all the prophets pointed to Him. Really all of them in this context were shown the way of God more adequately (Acts 18:26).
The Major Conversions in Acts: see how all of them confirm HS guaranteed salvation
A. Conversions
1. Acts 2:36-47 First Christian in Jerusalem
2. Acts 8:26-39 Ethiopian Eunuch
3. Acts 16:22-34 Philippian jailer and his family
4. Acts 18:24-26 Apollos
5. Acts 19:1-5 Ephesians
6. Acts 9:1-22 Paul
7. Acts 22:3-16 Paul
B. Questions concerning Conversions
1. What was preached?
2. What was the person's (people's) response to the message?
3. How long did the person (people) take to make the decision?
4. What was their response after baptism?
HOLY POWER WITHIN
1Corinthians 6:19-20
- How does this passage aid you in holy, godly living?
- The Holy Spirit living in you means you are not your own.
Romans 8:9-17 (especially vs.9 for this study)
- What is this passage saying is the significance of the Spirit living in you?
- Of course, you’re living in the (physical) world but are not of the world (John 17:9-16), meaning your life, which is as a sinner, is now hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3).
- In John 14:23, Jesus says, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
Ephesians 3:14-21
- How does the Holy Spirit strengthen us from within?
2Corinthians 3:18 and 2 Timothy 1:7
- Two helpful verses hitting on how the Spirit transforms you from the inside out, which we will look at in more detail in the coming lessons, but please be meditating on this in prayer before hand.
SUMMARIZE IN YOUR OWN WORDS {Now ask yourself, has this study accomplished its purpose stated above?}
- What is the importance of the Holy Spirit living in you?
- How do you know you have the Holy Spirit?
- Do you see that your place in God’s family, your adoption as a son or daughter, is confirmed by the Holy Spirit?
- How does this help you better be in step with the Spirit?
2 comments:
Peter, another great study. I went over this for my quiet time this morning, and the Spirit has always fascinated me. I find myself going back and forth on certain thoughts.In paticular the Acts 19 passage were the people are "re-baptized" so to speak. I am curious if you think the apostles had to be "re-baptized" as well or if you think they were saved since they had John's baptism under the old covenant since Luke 3:3 says it was a baptism for repentance and forgiveness of sins. I have traditionally thought of this Acts 19 passage of the people of Ephesus must have been baptized under John's baptism after the new covenant came into play so they had to be re-baptized as opposed to the Apostles. Just some thoughts I have always been curious about, I know there are flaws in what I have stated above, it would be cool if you addressed that some how or shot me an email with your thoughts. Love you guys and lets continue to be partners in the gospel!
love,
Mike Patterson
Good comments, thanks. The parallel passage to Luke 3:3 is Mark 1:4. Malachi 4 goes well with Luke 3. God's purpose for the baptism of John was to restore the people of Isreal to a right relationship with God and with their fellow man (Mal. 4:6). There are other references to forgiveness of sins predating the baptism into Christ (woman who washed Jesus' feet, theif on the cross). The baptism of John was not a baptism into Christ (Romans 6:1-4) because death, burial and resurrection had not taken place (1Corinthians 15). Along those lines, as John himself admitted (Luke 3:16), and more specific to what was going on in Acts 19, people did not receive the Holy Spirit through John's baptism (John 7:39). The Acts 2:38 baptism into Christ along with receiving the Holy Spirit was a new teaching (new covenant), and the disciple's of John show this in their response when met by Paul in Ephesus. I'd have to be convinced that the apostles weren't baptized again, post-resurrection, into Christ, rather than the burden being the other way. For starters, all the converstion accounts give a great deal of authority to not be insufficient without the mention of the other apostles baptism into Christ. We know the apostle Paul's baptism into Christ (Acts 22:16) has the most authority as far as the Scriptures are concerned because God used him to pen most of the New Testament. I'm sure so much else can be said to make the case, and I'd be willing to think more about it if necessary.
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