2014.06.29_Come and See

The Holy Spirit Who Dwells Only In the Believers

God is omnipresent. There is not a place where He is not present. His presence is everywhere, in Heaven and on earth, in the mountains and the seas. Some might then ask, ‘Is God in Hell too?’ Yes He is. The fire of Hell is the flame of wrath that eternally burns by the power of God. Eternity is an attribute of God, His property.

The only begotten Son who came from God’s bosom was different. He stayed in Galilee, and then went up to Jerusalem where He died on the cross, and after His resurrection He was taken up into Heaven. Thus, He is no longer on the earth. Jesus Himself said, “Of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more” (John 16:10). The Son of God required a fixed space when He came as the Son of Man.

Having gone into Heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from the Father. The Holy Spirit does not dwell among the religious groups of this world but only in the church. Yet, even inside the church, He does not dwell in religious people. John 7:38-39 says, “‘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.” The Holy Spirit comes upon those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God who carried the cross to atone for our sins, who believe in His resurrection, ascension and return.

When Apostle Paul was in Ephesus he asked the disciples there, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And the people answered him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” They did not even know about the baptism given in Jesus’ name (Acts 19:1-7). Even a self-professed disciple cannot receive the Holy Spirit unless He has the faith given by God, in other words, unless He knows Jesus. Jesus also said concerning the Holy Spirit, “[He is] 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.” The Holy Spirit does not dwell inside those who do not know Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit or God’s will.

A person could have led his spiritual life for decades but that does not guarantee he will enter the kingdom of God. One must receive the Lord’s invitation to enter the kingdom of Heaven as we see when Jesus said to the criminal who was crucified with Him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). People think that they have chosen the Lord when in fact it is the Lord who chooses (John 15:16). If anyone wishes to go to Heaven, the Lord must summon him first.

The omnipresent God has bestowed us with abundant grace and love, which was Him sending His only begotten Son out of His bosom so that we could believe in Him. John 20:31 says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” When it says ‘in His name,’ it does not refer to merely calling on the name of Jesus. Even the demons know and call on Jesus’ name, and yet they are not saved. Unless a person believes and receives in that name, he has nothing to do with it.

Our spiritual life requires us to be focused and immersed in it. When it comes to studying, there is an enormous difference between a person who immerses himself in his studies and a person who does not. Even the soccer commentators often say, “The players now need to be more focused on the game.” It is difficult to win a sports match unless the athlete concentrates on the game. It is even more so when it comes to our spirit life. The faith we possess is a reality (Heb. 11:1). Our hope is to attain eternal life and not be judged, enter Heaven and receive everlasting glory with our God Father.

Spiritual Life and the Holy Spirit

We are currently living in the most advanced civilization. But is that actually giving us happiness? People’s hearts are becoming desolate, just as it was with mankind before the Flood came. These days there is hardly anybody who does not carry a smartphone, starting from little children to the aged. They are all engrossed in the entertainment afforded them by such gadgets. While these devices are becoming smarter and smarter, man is becoming dumber and dumber. And the negative impact this has on one’s spiritual life is profound.

Man was made from dust. Yet, God knew that man could not have eternal happiness if he is only a rational being created from dust. Hence, He made him become a spiritual being by pouring into him the spirit He had created in Heaven. In doing so, even if man’s lifespan is complete and his body returns to dust, the spirit that communed with God would have eternal life. Although man is a spiritual being, he could no longer live a spiritual life as a result of the Devil’s temptation in the Garden of Eden.

A spiritual life is only possible by the Holy Spirit. God’s word cannot come into our hearts unless it is by the Holy Spirit. The holiness from God, His promises and blessing cannot come upon us except by the Holy Spirit. The help of the Holy Spirit is absolute in offering our worship to God as well as to deliver our prayers. We cannot receive God’s help just by begging Him earnestly over our pressing matters. We first need to be clearly cognizant that we are spiritual beings and receive the help of the Holy Spirit.

God has given us His exceedingly great love. He sent His only begotten Son to the world to shed His blood, which He has given us to drink. It is because we have drunk of God’s blood that we can call Him as our Father today. A person is not baptized if he has no part in that blood. Some people refuse to be baptized saying, “I don’t deserve to be baptized yet.” However, baptism is about being submerged into Jesus and uniting with Him, and thus anybody who believes that Jesus died for him can receive baptism. God has also sent the Holy Spirit to those who have united with Jesus through baptism. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the omniscient and omnipotent God. It was possible for God to raise Jesus from the dead also because the Holy Spirit was within Jesus (Rom 8:11).

God has thus demonstrated His great love to us, but are you receiving it in and acknowledging it? Do you believe in the precious blood God has given? Are you obeying the Holy Spirit He has sent? Hebrews 6:4-6 says, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance.” Even if a person tries to repent and seek forgiveness for having gone against the Holy Spirit until now, that is not possible. So then what can he do? It says in Hebrews 6:7-8, “For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” With what is remaining of his faith, he must drink in the rain that often falls and bear herbs, for which he will be blessed; otherwise he is close to being cursed.

Come and See

John the Baptist had received a revelation concerning Jesus, and even baptized Him. After that when John was with his disciples, he saw Jesus passing by and said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” The two disciples of John heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. They asked Him, “Where are You staying?” and Jesus replied, “Come and see!” With these words, Jesus is speaking to us today (John 1:35-39).

“I see” is an expression used in English when someone knows or understands something. So there is actually the meaning, “to know” in the word ‘see.’ In the Hebrew concept, the word ‘know’ involves the notion of experience. For example, when it says, Abraham knew Sarah, it means ‘Abraham married Sarah and experienced her.’ Thus, “Come and see!” does not mean to come and simply take a look, but have an experience.

John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” The right to become God’s children is given to those who have experienced that name, not those that merely call on it with their lips. First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Anyone that has received the Holy Spirit has a definite experience. John 7:38 says, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Likewise, we must come and experience.

Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Jesus is the narrow gate. The people of the world choose the broad gate according to their own ideas, temperament and will. However, they cannot enter Heaven through that gate. One must overcome all kinds of temptations, persecution, trials, and the world, and enter by the narrow gate to go into Heaven. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He also said, “All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” Thus, “Come and see!” means to come into Jesus and experience God.

We need to have a firm grasp of the three spiritual beings that appear in the Bible. Even if we have read the Bible a hundred times, without understanding the reality of the spiritual world, we cannot help but lead an ineffective life of faith. First of all, we have to know the triune God who exists alone from eternity past – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We also need to know the angels that He created in Heaven as well as the Devil and his cohorts that fell and became bound in Hades. Then we have to know man, a spiritual being with flesh. Thus, we need to know the three spiritual beings present in the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We must experience the reality of the spiritual world, just as He said, “Come and see!” And we must experience God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Worldly people might say that we are really ignorant to be speaking of spiritual beings in an age of advanced scientific technology. However, we need not think much of that. Even Jesus was treated like an ignorant person (John 7:15). The people of this world may well be knowledgeable about science but they are ignorant of the truth. However, we know the truth. Considering that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, we are certainly not ignorant.

The Communion of the Holy Spirit

If we have received the Holy Spirit, we must now live by Him. Even husbands and wives need to commune through the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, people’s emotions take over which can then easily cause problems in their relationship. When parents rely on the Holy Spirit, they are able to fully understand and love their children. However, they feel displeased and resentful towards them when they disregard the Holy Spirit. Thus, in order to restore family relations, there needs to be the communion of the Holy Spirit.

A minister also needs to have the communion of the Holy Spirit when a member of the church comes to him to receive counseling. The minister does not know what problem the church member has, but he needs to listen to the person and provide appropriate counseling. In such situations, he may be left puzzled to find an answer sometimes. Therefore, ministers must be able to rely on the Holy Spirit even while they are conversing with other people. As they are listening to the person speak, they should pray, “Holy Spirit, hear what that person is saying and give me words to say” (Mark 13:11).

We again need to rely on the Holy Spirit when we are reading the Bible. It would be no different to reading a history book if we read it without the Holy Spirit’s help. Only when we read by the Holy Spirit would the Bible be spiritually inspired. And when we tell that to others, they become words of inspiration and a teaching with authority.

There is nothing in our flesh by which we can receive God’s love. Nevertheless God has sent Jesus Christ so that we have been united with Him, and He also sent us the Holy Spirit to rely on. Yet, what would happen if the Holy Spirit were not being loved from within us? If the situation carries on to the point that the Holy Spirit no longer aids us, it will be too late for regrets.

We must be joyful by the Holy Spirit. Even if a person is an ordained deacon in the church, once he ignores the Holy Spirit he starts to disapprove his wife being active in the church. Only when the communion of the Holy Spirit is present would anyone be able to understand, accept and be joyful about his family members serving and dedicating to the church.

Just as Jesus said, “Come and see!” we must go into Him and have a spiritual experience, and bring about a great change in our own lives. We ought to be fervent in our spiritual life so much so that others might even say we are mad. When Apostle Paul devoted himself for the Gospel, others said he was out of his mind. Yet Paul said, “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you,” and exerted himself all the more for the work of the Holy Spirit.

We must be led by the Holy Spirit at all times. Day and night, we need to have our spirit rejoice in the Holy Spirit. A revival in the church is not possible apart from the Holy Spirit. The church is in desperate need of the help of the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:31 says, “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” The church would have a revival if every one of the saints communed through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the saints themselves first have to be born again by the Holy Spirit surely.

Repent for having ignored God and disregarded the Holy Spirit until now! And earnestly pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit! Then, give thanks to God for giving you the opportunity to be born again of the Holy Spirit and live according to the Lord’s will! The Lord is telling us today, “Come and see!” We must obey His words and enter through the narrow gate and have the communion of the Holy Spirit. We ought to become truly joyful in our spirit by the Holy Spirit.