Lesson 7 – How to Receive the Experience
——————————————————————————–
Key Verse – Acts 2:38
The Holy Ghost is the gift of God’s Spirit He wants to give to each of us. It is important that you realize that the Holy Ghost is something you need and should have. We usually seek what we desire or need.
YOU MUST BELIEVE.
Hebrews 11: 6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarderof them that diligently seek him.”
Mark 9:23, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe,all things are possible to him that believeth.”
John 7:37-39, “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. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (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.)”
Acts 8:12, “But when they believed Philippreaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”
YOU MUST HAVE FAITH
Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Matthew 9:29, “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto YOU.”
Matthew 17:20, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief. for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
YOU MUST ASK.
Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:, For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
This is another way of saying we must have a desire for the Holy Ghost. We must hunger for it. If we want it that badly, we will seek it. We talk to God through prayer.
Matthew 21:21-22, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. ”
Luke 11:13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
James 4:2-3, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
YOU MUST REPENT
Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luke 24:46-47, “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preachedin his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Repentance cleans the heart and prepares it for the presence of God to come into. When a person repents, he has a clean, empty heart, ready for the Holy Ghost (Matthew 12:43-45). God will not live in a dirty, sinful heart! He wants a clean house!
I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
YOU MUST WORSHIP I PRAISE I MAGNIFY GOD.
Anytime we approach God, we come before Him with worship and praise. He loves, desires, and inhabits the praise of His people. Worship prepares the heart for God’s presence. Worship and praise are the ways we offer sacrifices to God.
Jeremiah 33:11, “The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD.”
Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to Godcontinually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
The Bible says that they “spoke” in other tongues as the “Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 1:4). Peter knew the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost for he “heard them speak in tongues and magnify God” (Acts 10:46).
By these accounts, those who received the Holy Ghost spoke in other tongues. We must open our mouth and speak words of praise to God. God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves. I cannot speak in tongues without God’s utterance, but I can speak words of praise and worship. When I do what I can do, God takes over and does the rest!
We do not need to “know how” to pray in order to seek the Holy Ghost. We should use simple words of praise such as “Hallelujah” or “Thank you Jesus”.
When we seek the Holy Ghost, we pray with our heart. It is not important that we say any certain words. As you pray, the Spirit will start to move on you and you will began to stammer (Isaiah 28:11) and then you will speak words you do not know, as the Spirit gives you utterance.We cannot speak in other tongues under our own inspiration and it be real. The Spirit must give the utterance. Do not worry what it sounds like, you will not understand it anyway!
If God can speak through a burning bush (Exodus 3:2-6) or a donkey (Numbers 22:21-28), surely He can speak through us!
Mark 16:16-17, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; ”
YOU MUST BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.
Mark 16:16-17, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe- In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;”
Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
In the Bible, we find some examples of people receiving the Holy Ghost and being baptized (Acts 10:44-48). In other cases, they were baptized and then they received the Holy Ghost (Acts 19:1-5). So we can conclude that you can be baptized before or after receiving the Holy Ghost.
We do know however that baptism in Jesus Name is essential to our salvation experience. God forgives our sin at repentance, but he remits (pardons/absolves) our sin at baptism. Repentance and baptism serve two different purposes.
Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and bebaptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST
John 7:37-39, “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. He that believeth on me,as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (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.)”
Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ”
If you believe the Holy Ghost is a gift God has for you, and if you follow the above Biblical steps, you can expectto receive the Holy Ghost shortly. The Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, and is still in the earth today.
You do not have to beg for the Holy Ghost. You simply believe, obey, and receive! You should claim this promise of God by faith. Today!
In these seven lessons, we have studied the experience of receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It is for you today!
To this agree the words of the Prophets, the Apostles, and Jesus Christ Himself.
Ephesians 2:19-22, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints ‘, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”