Knowledge of the Holy Spirit is the key to a victorious Christian life. The devil has long tried to prevent Christians from discovering this great truth by keeping it hidden.

Today, in many churches, the Holy Spirit is not preached about for fear of being accused of introducing a new doctrine, while in other churches the work of the Holy Spirit is presented in an erroneous way, without, however, having the experience that a person filled with the Holy Spirit should have, but without the fullness of the Holy Spirit, we will be lifeless Christians.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit, who is a Person, is first mentioned in the book of Genesis: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty; darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”^[1] The supernatural being mentioned in verse 1 in Hebrew is translated as “Elohim”—that is, God in the plural—and verse 2 elaborates on this by mentioning the Holy Spirit. Further on, in verse 26 of the same chapter, God speaks in the plural: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Just like God, man is also a trinity: body, soul, and spirit. God gave man the breath of life through the Holy Spirit: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”^[2] The Holy Spirit miraculously creates human life, for at birth we receive a spiritual life, thus making us eternal beings.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned in the book of Genesis and at the moment of man’s fall into sin: “The Lord God said, ‘Behold, man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. Now, then, let us prevent him from reaching out his hand, taking also from the tree of life, eating of it, and living forever.”^[3] “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is but flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred twenty years.’”^[4] This was also the time granted to humanity for repentance before the Flood.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit actively participates in bringing judgment upon humankind, as God speaks in the plural within the Trinity: “The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building. And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language; and this is what they have set out to do; now nothing will prevent them from doing whatever they have planned. Come, let Us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may no longer understand one another’s speech!”^[5]           

The book of Genesis shows us that the Spirit of God dwells in people. An example of this is Joseph: “And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Could we possibly find a man like this, who has the Spirit of God within him?’” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed all these things to you, there is no one as discerning and as wise as you.”^[6] It was clear to Pharaoh that the Spirit of God—which is a spirit of revelation and wisdom—dwelt in Joseph.

The Holy Spirit comes accompanied by gifts. Thus, in the book of Exodus, the Holy Spirit comes upon Bezalel accompanied by gifts: “The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Know that I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God; I have given him a spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of work, I have given him the ability to devise all kinds of artistic works, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to do all kinds of work.”^[7] This time, the Holy Spirit did not come with a gift of revelation of mysteries, but with a revelation in skilled craftsmanship. These gifts came upon Bezalel because they were needed in the service of God. This is the first time in the Old Testament that it is mentioned that a person was filled with the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit of God “also gave him the gift of teaching others, both to him and to Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.”^[8] We see that in both the New Testament and the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works in the same way, and the Spirit of wisdom also comes through the Holy Spirit of God, and He has His own ways of working.

In the book of Numbers, the Spirit of God comes upon seventy elders concerning their ministry: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for Me seventy men from among the elders of Israel, those whom you know to be elders of the people and who have authority over them; bring them to the Tent of Meeting, and let them stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there; I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you and place it upon them, so that they may share the burden of the people with you and you will not have to bear it alone.”^[9] The Spirit that was upon Moses was the Holy Spirit: “The Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to Moses; He took some of the Spirit that was upon him and placed it upon the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested upon them, they began to prophesy; but afterward they did not prophesy again.”^[10] Here we see the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which came accompanied by a supernatural manifestation. This manifestation may occur only once, and not necessarily multiple times. “A young man ran and told Moses, saying, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’” And Joshua, the son of Nun, who had served Moses since his youth, spoke up and said, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them.’ Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”^[11] In these verses we see that a baptism in the Holy Spirit never goes unnoticed. Even though these two men remained in the camp, they began to prophesy, which was the sign that they had been baptized with the Spirit of the Lord. No one can ever claim to have been baptized with the Holy Spirit if those around him do not see changes in his life. At Pentecost, Moses’ words were fulfilled: the Holy Spirit came upon all the people of the Lord who were faithful to Him—that is, one hundred twenty people—and all of them prophesied God’s wonderful words in other tongues that they had not known before this baptism.

Balaam is the first example of a man who experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit but who lost both the Lord’s anointing and his very soul: “Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel encamped in their tents, according to their tribes. Then the Spirit of God came upon him. Balaam spoke his prophecy and said: ‘This is what Balaam, son of Beor, says—the man whose eyes are open, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls on his face, and whose eyes are open.”^[12] Balaam has visions through his spiritual eyes and receives revelations through the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, Peter says of him that he loved the wages of iniquity more than anything else, and the Lord Jesus says of Balaam that he led the people into sexual immorality and idolatry. This is why Balaam lost the work of the Holy Spirit in his life, lost his physical life, and then lost his soul as well.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom My Spirit dwells, and lay your hand on him.’”^[13] The Spirit of God was already upon Joshua, but these verses show us that he is filled with the Holy Spirit. Joshua had the power of the Holy Spirit in his life, but he did not have the fullness of the Spirit. Therefore, being filled with the Holy Spirit is demonstrated even in the Old Testament. Later in the book of Deuteronomy, it is explained even more clearly that when Moses laid his hands on Joshua, he was filled with the Holy Spirit: “Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him.”^[14] The events of the Old Testament also apply to the New Testament; the difference lies in the fact that the work of the Holy Spirit is manifested at a higher level in the New Testament and is accessible to all who sanctify themselves.

In the Book of Joshua, we see the consequences of Joshua’s being filled with the Holy Spirit. Because of this filling, he was a leader of the people of Israel who was full of wisdom, power, courage, strength, and the ability to lead others. To be a good leader of the Lord’s people, one needs the fullness of the Holy Spirit, which bestows all these qualities that Joshua possessed.

In the Book of Judges, each judge is filled with the Spirit of the Lord in a different way. Regarding Othniel, the first judge, it is written that “the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. He became a judge in Israel and went out to war. The Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hands, and His hand was strong against Cushan-Rishathaim.”^[15] Because the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, he was able to prevail in battle. Only a man who is filled with the Holy Spirit should be obeyed and followed in all things: “Gideon was filled with the Spirit of the Lord; he blew the trumpet, and Abiezer was summoned to follow him.”^[16]

To wage the Lord’s battles, the Spirit of the Lord must come upon each of us, just as He came upon these judges of the people of Israel: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. Jephthah traveled through Gilead and Manasseh; he went to Mizpeh in Gilead; and from Mizpeh in Gilead, he set out against the Ammonites.”^[17]

It is written of Samson that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him four times: “And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him at Mahaneh-Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”^[18]; “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson; and, with nothing in his hand, Samson tore the lion apart as one would tear apart a young goat. He did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.”^[19]; “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon. There he killed thirty men, took their clothes, and gave the spare clothes to those who had solved the riddle. He was filled with anger and went up to his father’s house.”^[20]; “When he reached Lehi, the Philistines began to shout for joy before him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. The ropes on his arms became like flax burned in the fire, and the bonds fell from his hands.”^[21] It is the Holy Spirit who sets us free from all bonds, no matter how strong they may be. Samson ended up like Balaam because he did not maintain purity in his life.

In the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel, we see the story of the first two kings, Saul and David, who both experienced the work of the Holy Spirit; the difference between them is that Saul ended badly, while David ended well. The Holy Spirit changes a person’s heart as soon as He comes: “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be transformed into a new person. When these signs are fulfilled, do whatever you think is best, for God is with you. Then come down to meet me at Gilgal; and I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. Wait for me there seven days, until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” As soon as Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave him a new heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that very day. When they arrived at Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets came out to meet him. The Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.”^[22]

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul to strengthen him for battle, and suddenly he became very determined and full of courage: “Saul was just returning from the field, following his oxen, and he asked, ‘Why are the people weeping?’ They told him what the men of Jabesh had said. When Saul heard these things, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he was greatly angered. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever does not follow Saul and Samuel will have his oxen cut up in the same way.’ The fear of the Lord seized the people, and they set out as one man.”^[23]

Because he did not remain pure, “the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul; and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.”^[24] We must be very careful because we can lose everything; the Spirit of the Lord will not depart from us all at once, but will depart gradually.

During a moment of repentance on Saul’s part, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him again at Ramah: “Saul sent men to bring David. They saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel at their head. The Spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they, too, began to prophesy. They told Saul about this; he sent other men, and they, too, prophesied. He sent still others a third time, and they, too, prophesied. Then Saul went to Ramah himself. When he reached the large dry well at Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” He was told, “They are at Naioth, near Ramah.” So he set out for Naioth, near Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him as well; and Saul continued on his way, prophesying until he arrived at Naioth, near Ramah. He took off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel; and he lay naked on the ground all that day and all that night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”^[25] Although Saul had come with thoughts of vengeance and had brought armed men with him, in the presence of the Holy Spirit he fell face down on the ground and repented. However, because he did not maintain his repentance from the heart, the Spirit of the Lord left him to his own devices. Saul was not consistent in his repentance, and this should serve as an example to us so that we do not do what Saul did. Anyone who no longer bears fruit for the Lord has lost the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.

Just as Moses dealt with Joshua, so Samuel dealt with David. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Samuel prayed for David and anointed him with oil. David’s first gift after being filled with the Holy Spirit is a gift of praise, a gift of song. “And when the spirit sent by God came upon Saul, David would take the harp and play with his own hand; Saul would then breathe more easily, feel relieved, and the evil spirit would depart from him.”^[26] This is one of the signs of being filled with the Holy Spirit, for from the heart of a person filled with the Spirit of the Lord will flow rivers of living water—rivers of praise for the Name of God. David also receives the gift of prophecy^[27]: “The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me, and His word is on my tongue.”^[28]

Nevertheless, David sinned in a moment of carelessness, and he, too, was in danger of losing the work of the Holy Spirit. Fortunately, David repents and asks the Lord not to take the Holy Spirit from his heart: “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” David lived a life guided by the Holy Spirit.^[29]

The Holy Spirit in the Book of Kings is the Spirit of the prophets. The first important prophet is Elijah: “And after I have left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know. If I were to go and tell Ahab, and he did not find you, he would kill me. And yet your servant has feared the Lord since his youth.”^[30] Ahab’s servant knew that Elijah was filled with the Holy Spirit and that he walked only as guided by Him. This was also very clear to Elisha, Elijah’s servant. “After they had passed by, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I can do for you before I am taken from you.’ Elisha replied, “Please let a double portion of your spirit come upon me!”^[31] Elisha pressed Elijah, remaining by his side until the moment of his ascension into heaven. Because he persisted, he received a double portion of the Holy Spirit that was in Elijah’s life: “The sons of the prophets who were near Jericho, when they saw him, said, ‘The Spirit of Elijah has come upon Elisha.’ And they went out to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. They said to him: ‘Look, there are fifty strong men among your servants; would you like them to go and search for your master? Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has carried him away and cast him down on some mountain or into some valley.’ He replied, “Do not send them.”^[32] The fact that the prophets bowed down before Elisha was a sign of their submission and obedience to him. They were aware that the Spirit of the Lord could move a person from one place to another, just as had happened to Philip in the New Testament.

Elisha has the gift of revelation and many other gifts. “But Elisha said to him, ‘Was not my spirit with you when that man left his chariot and came before you? Is this the time to take silver, clothing, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, oxen, male and female servants?’”^[33] Elisha received revelations through the Holy Spirit. The ministry of Elijah and Elisha resembles that of the Lord Jesus, who multiplied the loaves, healed the sick, and raised the dead. All three have these things in common, accomplished through the Holy Spirit.

In the Book of Chronicles, the Spirit of the Lord is highlighted in several people through the prophets. “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded, and Azariah went before Asa and said to him, ‘Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are with Him; if you seek Him, you will find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach the people, and without the Law. But in the midst of their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel; they sought Him and found Him. In those days there was no peace for those who went out and came in, for there was great turmoil among all the inhabitants of the land; one people fought against another, one city against another, because God was bringing all kinds of distress upon them: ‘But you, take heart and do not let your hands grow weak, for your deeds will be rewarded.’”^[34] This was a prophecy of encouragement for the people.

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, the Levite, one of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And Jahaziel said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God’s.’”^[35] In these verses, the people receive further encouragement from the Lord.

“Zechariah, the son of the priest Jehoiada, was filled with the Spirit of God. He stood before the people and said to them, ‘This is what God says: “Why do you break the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, He will forsake you.”’ And they conspired against him and stoned him to death, by the king’s command, in the courtyard of the House of the Lord.”^[36] Zechariah received boldness through the Holy Spirit because he exposed the people’s sin. That is why the people rose up against him and killed him. The fullness of the Holy Spirit drives sin out of a person’s heart to bring about repentance. Often, people’s reaction to the word from the Lord is not one of obedience but of resistance.

Nehemiah summarizes the purpose for which God had sent His prophets, saying: “You gave them Your good Spirit to make them wise; You have not withdrawn Your hand from their mouths, and You have given them water to quench their thirst.”^[37] “You have thus been patient with them for many years; You have given them warnings through Your Spirit, through the prophets, yet they have not heeded them.”^[38]

The history of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament concludes with the Lord’s promise that He will send the Holy Spirit upon the people of Israel in the time of trouble, but also upon all the nations who will believe in Him. Israel is now deprived of the Spirit of the Lord, but at the time predetermined by the Lord, He will visit them again and pour out His Spirit upon them: “The royal palace is deserted, the once-bustling city is abandoned; the hill and the tower will serve as caves forever; wild donkeys will frolic in them, and flocks will graze, until the Spirit is poured out from on high upon us; then the wilderness will become like the plain, and the barren land will be regarded as a forest.”^[39] “Thus says the Lord, who made you and formed you, and who has been your support from your birth: ‘Do not fear anything, My servant Jacob, My Israel whom I have chosen. For I will pour out water on the parched land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit upon your offspring and My blessing upon your descendants, and they will spring up like grass by the waters, like willows by flowing streams.”^[40] These are some of the promises of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the people of Israel in the time of great tribulation.

The joy of the nations is that the Lord also promises them an outpouring of His Spirit in the last days: “Afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even upon the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”^[41] The Lord’s promise is that anyone can receive the Holy Spirit even before the Great Tribulation begins, if they repent. The Holy Spirit descends with great power upon all flesh even before the Church is caught up into heaven. These things are happening today, especially in persecuted countries, and the times leading up to the Church’s rapture are precisely the times in which we are living.

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament

The Spirit of God is the One who sustains life; He comes into people’s lives to bring salvation and fill a person’s heart to set them free, to convict them of sin, and to awaken them from their current state.

Passionate Christianity is only Christianity filled with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, in our day there is also a great deal of deception regarding the authentic work of the Holy Spirit, because the devil wants to counterfeit this work.

The first prophecy John the Baptist made concerns the Lord Jesus, who will baptize people with the Holy Spirit and with fire: “But the One who comes after me is mightier than I, and I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”[42] This is the prophecy of the last prophet of the Old Testament. The prophecy in which John the Baptist said that the Lord Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”[43] has also been fulfilled.

Fifty days after the Lord’s death, the prophecy of the baptism with the Holy Spirit was fulfilled upon the Lord’s one hundred twenty disciples. On that day, the Holy Spirit also descended upon the other three thousand people who were convicted of their sins. God works now just as He worked then.

The entire Trinity was present at the birth of the Lord Jesus: “The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the Holy One to be born of you will be called the Son of God.”[44] The Trinity is represented by the Holy Spirit, the power of the Most High (God), and the Holy One to be born—the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus was incarnated from the moment of His birth through the Holy Spirit: “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”[45]

The Holy Spirit filled several people before the birth of the Lord Jesus. One of these people is Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist: “As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”[46] Elizabeth’s filling with the Holy Spirit was immediate; there was no gradual filling with the Holy Spirit. Regarding her son, John the Baptist, the Gospel of Luke 1:15 states “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.”[47] Those who wish to be prophets of the Lord must live in purity. John was filled with the Holy Spirit until his death. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was also filled with the Holy Spirit: “Zechariah, his father, was filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, and said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people.’”[48]

In Jerusalem at the Temple there was a man of God named Simeon, who was also filled with the Holy Spirit.[49] The conditions required for a person to be filled with the Holy Spirit are a holy life and walking in the ways of God with reverence for Him.

At the age of twelve, the Lord Jesus was in the Temple, discussing with the leading teachers of Israel: “All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.”[50] The Lord Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit because He had been conceived by the power of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as a human being.

The first time we are told of the Lord’s being filled with the Holy Spirit is at His baptism, when John the Baptist saw in a vision how the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Him in the form of a dove. “As soon as He was baptized, Jesus came up out of the water. And at that moment, the heavens opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him.”[51]

If the Lord Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit before beginning His public ministry, how much more do we, as human beings, need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit before entering into the Lord’s service. Anything done by human effort rather than by the Spirit of the Lord will not be accepted by God.

At the age of thirty, the Levites were eligible to enter the office of High Priest. The Lord Jesus was baptized at this age to fulfill this requirement and to minister in the Most Holy Place. He was anointed as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek and as King directly by God Himself. Likewise, David was anointed as king at the age of fifteen and began his reign at the age of thirty. When the Lord Jesus says, “Let Me do this now, for it is fitting for us to fulfill all that must be fulfilled,”[52] He is referring precisely to this anointing for His entry into ministry as High Priest. He did not need to be anointed with blood like the Levites because the Lord was coming before the Father with His own blood, so all that remained to be fulfilled was the ritual washing of the Levites, through the Lord’s baptism and the descent of the Holy Spirit, in place of the oil. The High Priest needed these three things: washing with water, anointing with blood, and anointing with oil.

We, as the church of the Lord Jesus, are both kings and priests at the same time: “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth!”[53] In Israel, it was not possible to be both a king and a priest at the same time. The only one mentioned as having been both king of Salem and priest of the Most High God is Melchizedek. It is the Lord Jesus who fulfills these two roles—priest and king—and these qualities are also imparted to His church; however, in order to be kings and priests, we need the Lord’s anointing.

“The Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased!’[54] God the Holy Spirit and John the Baptist bear witness to the Lord Jesus. He is the only one upon whom the Spirit does not come in measure. “For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, because God does not give the Spirit to Him in measure.”[55] There is a measure of the Holy Spirit, and each person receives according to the measure given by the Lord. We can have the Holy Spirit, but not His fullness. We must persevere in seeking the fullness of the Holy Spirit, for it is for everyone.

Immediately after His baptism, the Spirit of the Lord led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted: “Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil for forty days.”[56] From the moment we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the real struggles begin, for that is when we will truly be tested. Those who are to be used in God’s work will be tested, and this is permitted by God, who grants victory. From this temptation, the Lord Jesus emerged “full of the power of the Spirit.”[57] Only after we have passed all the tests will we be fit for ministry. The disciples were trained by the Lord Jesus for three and a half years to enter into the ministry.

The Lord Jesus’ ministry of proclaiming the Gospel was marked by the power of the Holy Spirit from the very beginning: “But Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from there. Large crowds followed Him. He healed all who were sick and strictly warned them not to make Him known; so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, which says: ‘Behold My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul delights. I will place My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.”[58] But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.[59] Those who speak against the Holy Spirit and against His work oppose the One who can convict them of sin, and thereby condemn themselves.

“At that moment, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise You because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for such was Your good pleasure.”[60] The Lord Jesus carried out the work of salvation to the very end with the joy He drew from the Holy Spirit. He did not feel burdened, even though He knew everything He would have to suffer so that we might receive forgiveness for our sins.

Jesus called His twelve disciples and gave them the power to cast out unclean spirits and heal diseases. The only One who can cast out demons and bring healing to the sick is the Holy Spirit. It is possible that the Lord Jesus prayed for them by laying His hands on them, just as Moses and Samuel did.

The disciples returned from this ministry filled with joy. Their primary ministry was not exorcism or healing, but proclaiming the Gospel, and God confirmed their words through the power of signs and wonders. The work of the Holy Spirit is a work that leaves a lasting impact, bearing fruit for God.

“The seventy returned with great joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’” Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will harm you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”[61] Those who make up the church of the Lord Jesus will be victorious, because the Lord gives them the power to tread upon all the power of the enemy.

The Holy Spirit comes to fill a person so that He may have them entirely for Himself, but this requires total surrender so that we can no longer do what we want. In the Holy Spirit we find the power to put to death the deeds of the flesh; He transforms our lives, making us new creatures with a passion for God, for prayer, for singing, for the Word, and for proclaiming the Gospel, and everything that was natural within us is replaced with acts of holiness through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit gives us a new purpose in life, and that purpose is Jesus Christ. A Christian filled with the Holy Spirit no longer struggles to live a victorious life, but rivers of living water flow from his heart because God works within the person, giving him a new heart and a new mind.

We must sanctify and purify ourselves throughout our lives in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is in us, the Gospel will be proclaimed with power, and the Spirit of the Lord will make us witnesses to His power.

The One who sends the Holy Spirit is the Lord Jesus: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever; namely, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.”[62] After genuine repentance, the Lord will baptize those who trust in the power of His Spirit; we need only wait for the fulfillment of His promises. The Lord is the One who intercedes for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon us, and the Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray, testifies about the Lord Jesus, and glorifies His sacrifice.[63]

“When the Comforter comes—the Spirit of truth—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 reveal to you the things to come.”[64] We all need guidance from the Holy Spirit. If we live a pure life, He can guide us personally. At the same time, the Holy Spirit is the One who comforts us in times of suffering and trouble when we feel we cannot overcome certain situations on our own. “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”[65] There will be difficult moments in our lives that we can overcome only with the help of the Holy Spirit, who will comfort us during these times. Pain is a common part of life, but if we go through these moments alone, it will be very hard for us. Those who live guided by the Holy Spirit will experience the comforting work of the Spirit of the Lord during these difficult times.

“On the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, while the doors of the place where the disciples were gathered were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ And after he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again: “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.” After saying this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!”[66] The Lord Jesus fulfills His promise and breathes the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, giving them power and strengthening them.

“And he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day. And repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I will send upon you the promise of My Father; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”[67] In these verses, the Lord Jesus speaks of the fullness of the Holy Spirit that they were to receive at Pentecost. After all the disciples had been baptized with the Holy Spirit, they became fearless; they no longer stayed indoors with the doors locked, but now proclaimed the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit.

All we need to do is persevere in our prayers, thirst for the Holy Spirit, and wait for Him to send His promise upon us.[68] At the same time, we must pray with the right motivation in order to receive this undeserved gift from God. We must desire that the Lord’s Name be honored and that people who do not know the Lord be touched by His Gospel. The Lord Jesus desires His church to be in a state of fervent anticipation of His coming, and we can have this state only if we have the fullness of His Spirit in our hearts.

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles

The Word of God is not relative but is true and is fulfilled in every way. God’s promises were meant both for those who lived in the time of the apostles and for us today: “For this promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far off—as many as the Lord our God will call.”^[69] Being filled with the Holy Spirit is an ongoing process that can be repeated many times throughout one’s life of faith.

In the book of Acts, the Lord Jesus told His disciples to remain in the city until they received power from on high, because before going out to evangelize, they needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Gospel proclaimed only in words will have no effect on others because it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that makes the difference.

“On the day of Pentecost, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, there came from heaven a sound like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Tongues of fire were seen dividing among them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.” Everyone was amazed and astonished, and they said to one another, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it, then, that we hear them speaking to each of us in our own native language, the language in which we were born? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the regions of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome—both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages about the marvelous works of God!”^[70] This was a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit, for they were proclaiming the Gospel in languages unknown to them until then. This is a primary aspect of being filled with the Holy Spirit: namely, that He gives us a new tongue with which we can proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus to others. Another aspect of speaking in tongues is the spiritual edification of the believer through prayer, in solitude with God, and through prophecy when speaking in an unknown language in church—provided there is another believer present who has the gift of interpreting that language.

When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon a person, it will result in one of two things: either it will cause amazement among those who knew him, or it will provoke mockery and opposition. “Everyone was amazed; they did not know what to think, and they said to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others mocked them, saying, ‘They are full of new wine!’” Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and said to them, “Men of Judea and all of you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen to my words! These men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, says God, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams!”^[71] Some people will repent, but others will harden their hearts and mock the work of the Holy Spirit. Those who were amazed numbered about three thousand, but those who mocked the work were likely among the hundreds of thousands of religious people in Jerusalem. There will always be more who mock the work of the Holy Spirit than those who accept it.

The Holy Spirit manifests Himself differently in His work of filling believers, which is why people will not always agree with His supernatural manifestation. People filled with the Holy Spirit will pray with fervor, sing with fervor, and live with fervor, but they will also be persecuted, especially by Christians with divided hearts, because it is written in the Bible that “all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”^[72]

When the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord’s disciples, they all broke free from every religious mold because the Holy Spirit completely transformed their lives. They no longer went to the Temple to pray and to unroll the scroll of the Law, but to proclaim the Gospel through the Holy Spirit.

The promise of the Holy Spirit was for all people, because in addition to the apostles who were waiting and persevering in prayer, there were also one hundred and eight others who were doing the same thing and who received the filling of the Holy Spirit at the same time. For this reason, the idea held by certain people—that the Holy Spirit was promised only to the Lord’s apostles—is completely ruled out.

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, and when they arrived home, they went up to the upper room, where they usually gathered, and they all devoted themselves with one accord to prayer and supplication, together with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.^[73]  On the day of Pentecost, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, there came from heaven a sound like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Tongues of fire were seen dividing among them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.”^[74]

From these verses we learn that both men and women proclaimed the Gospel on the day they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The good news of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus must be carried forward by all people who speak through the power of the Holy Spirit. All people must ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit and seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When the motivation of our hearts is right, the Holy Spirit will touch that person, because the only purpose for which He fills a person’s life is for the glory of the Lord Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who glorifies the Lord Jesus through a person’s life.

We must all make up for lost time so that our lives may reflect the person of the Lord Jesus in every aspect, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives us courage and boldness, just as He did with the disciples who had previously denied the Lord and left Him alone, but who were afterward willing to die rather than stop proclaiming the Gospel.

God has in mind those who do not know the Gospel of His Son, and therefore He baptizes people with the Holy Spirit so that every word they speak may have power and authority, causing people’s hearts to be pierced as they listen. There are people who make the baptism with the Holy Spirit an end in itself, rather than a means for the benefit of others; but in reality, the Holy Spirit comes to glorify the Lord and to make Christians fruitful. People want to see the authenticity of the Holy Spirit’s work, not the deception in which most live—a deception that makes them no different from those in the world. The Holy Spirit transforms a person’s life so completely that those who knew him or her before are amazed by the radical change they see with their own eyes. Only those who surrender their lives completely to the Lord experience the work of the Holy Spirit, for He comes to dwell in people who no longer do as they please.

God is building a pure church that will complete the work of the Lord Jesus in power and glory. The church of the Lord Jesus is victorious and will not end in disgrace. He calls His people to revival, which is the first step toward being filled with the Holy Spirit. Before asking for the Holy Spirit, a person who is lukewarm must repent and weep before the Lord for this sin. Jesus lived His entire life for us; He gave Himself completely by suffering death on the cross, and so we too must follow His example.

After hearing these words, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” “Repent.”^[75] This is the first thing we must do before we can be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Without heartfelt repentance, the Lord will not send the blessed rain upon our hearts. We must be pained by our coldness toward Him and the indifference in which we have lived; we must be pained that we have not known how to say, like David, “I love You with all my heart, O Lord, my strength!”^[76] Revival comes only through repentance. All Christians who have not lived as the first disciples bear responsibility for the fallen state of our people. If there had been a thousand Christians filled with the Holy Spirit, things would have been entirely different in our country. Therefore, since this reality does not exist, we must repent both personally and together, as a church.

The Lord’s call to holiness and revival must be an honor to us all. We do not need to convince the Lord to send the Holy Spirit upon us, for that is what He desires to do; but this requires repentance. There are believers who have misinterpreted the pursuit of the Holy Spirit, for we are not to cry out loudly, as the priests of Baal did, for the Holy Spirit; rather, if our hearts are pure and we long for more of who He is, we can confidently ask that His promise come into our lives.

After the moment of repentance, “you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”^[77] The certainty that these people to whom Peter was speaking received the gift of the Holy Spirit is clearly evident from the text of Scripture: “Those who accepted his message were baptized; and on that day about three thousand souls were added to the number of disciples. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had everything in common. They sold their fields and possessions and distributed the proceeds to all, according to each one’s need. Every day they continued to meet together in the Temple; they broke bread in their homes and ate their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart. They praised God and were well regarded by all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”^[78]

All these things pointed to the hallmarks of a completely transformed life; they were the signs of people who sought God with all their hearts and who persevered in holiness. These people worked every day, yet they never failed to attend the fellowship meetings or to proclaim the Gospel. They all went out to preach the Gospel without making excuses, for these powerful urges came from within them. Among them reigned the joy and purity of heart that come only through the Holy Spirit.

In chapter 4 of the Acts of the Apostles, the Lord’s disciples ask for strength and boldness to preach the Gospel in times of persecution, and God hears their prayer, and they are all filled with the Holy Spirit so that He may be glorified. 

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Believer’s Life

The Holy Spirit’s first work in a person’s life is to fill them with Himself. The Holy Spirit’s second work is to give us power to proclaim the Gospel. At Pentecost, Peter did not perform any miracles, yet approximately three thousand people believed the Gospel.  Paul says the same thing in his letter to the Corinthians: “...my message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on the power of God.”^[79] Paul was not trying to persuade anyone; he was not trying to convince anyone of anything, because the One who convicts people of sin is the Holy Spirit alone. The Gospel must be proclaimed as simply and clearly as possible, but we must not try to convince people that sin harms them; rather, we must allow His Spirit to bring conviction and a sense of burden for the sins they have committed. What we must do is stand upright before people to proclaim the Gospel with the power of God.

The way in which the Lord’s Church grew and multiplied was through the work of the Holy Spirit and through the sanctification in which every Christian lived: “The church enjoyed peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria; it was strengthened in the Spirit and walked in the fear of the Lord; and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”^[80] It is the Lord who adds to the number of the church those who are to be saved. The work of the Holy Spirit is fruitful and brings about the growth of the Church, for all were proclaiming the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit: “It was revealed to them that they were not speaking for themselves but for you, when they proclaimed these things to you—things that have now been proclaimed to you by those who preached the Gospel to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, and into which even the angels long to look.”^[81] Today we need the same Gospel, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The third work of the Holy Spirit is that which brings about a new life, freed from the power of sin. “I say, then: Walk by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; these are opposed to one another, so that you cannot do what you want.”^[82]

The fourth work of the Holy Spirit is the work of sanctifying our lives. If we walk guided by the Holy Spirit, we will no longer fulfill the desires of the flesh because we will live a new and holy life: “Indeed, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.”^[83] The law of the Holy Spirit will deliver us from all that is evil and sinful within us, and if we are not sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will fall into sin and evil desires.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we no longer owe anything to the flesh, to live according to its desires. If you live according to its desires, you will die; but if, through the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”^[84] If we do not put the deeds of the flesh to death, we will perish, and the natural man will end up in a place of eternal perdition. We must live guided by the promptings of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit urges us only toward holiness and purification. In the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul addresses Christians, not unbelievers, so we must heed these warnings.

In chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation, we are told that only two of the seven churches are spiritually sound, namely Smyrna and Philadelphia; to the other five churches, the Lord tells them to repent of their fallen state and their sins. Entire churches that expect to be emptied at the Rapture will be stunned to find that they will be left behind on earth in great numbers because they have not repented of the lukewarm state in which they live. That is why we must live in constant vigilance so that we do not end up in hell, where the devil and his angels will go. The Holy Spirit progressively sanctifies us as we remain obedient to what He asks us to do and to cast out of our lives: “I am earnestly fulfilling the ministry of God’s Gospel, so that the Gentiles may be a sacrifice acceptable to Him, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”^[85] The Spirit of the Lord sanctifies our lives so that we may grow in the likeness of the Lord. Sanctification is continuous and gradual, taking place day by day: “For the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, behold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, and are being transformed into His very image, from glory to glory, through the Spirit of the Lord.”^[86] As we progress in our life of faith, the Lord reveals to us more and more aspects of our lives that we must gradually let go of.

The fifth work of the Holy Spirit is to give wisdom to people so that they may understand Scripture: “But God has revealed these things to us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God. Indeed, who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. And we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may know the things that God has given us through His grace.” ^[87] The things God has given us by His grace are Holy Scripture and our life with God. Only through the Spirit of God can we come to know Holy Scripture, for He is the author of Scripture. A person baptized with the Holy Spirit receives enlightenment regarding Scripture and begins to understand the Word of God, which is made known to them through the Holy Spirit. This is the testimony of many people who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit and who, immediately afterward, received a special insight into the Word. After being baptized with the Holy Spirit, people will feel a thirst to read the Bible, which did not happen before their baptism.

The sixth work of the Holy Spirit is to give us life: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, rivers of living water will flow from within him, as the Scripture says.” He spoke these words about the Spirit whom those who believe in Him would receive. For the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”^[88] Each of us can experience the fulfillment of the Lord Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”[89] The words that give life are the words enlivened by the Holy Spirit. A dead assembly is one lacking the presence of the fullness of the Holy Spirit, for the letter alone kills, but the Spirit is the One who gives life. The one who used the Word without the Holy Spirit was the devil when he tempted the Lord Jesus.

The seventh work of the Holy Spirit is to bestow gifts upon the Lord’s Church: “God confirmed their testimony with signs, wonders, and various miracles, and with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to His will!”^[90] The purpose of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to be used for the edification of those around us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit must be used together with love, for they work in harmony. There is a great need for the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and we must earnestly seek them. Paul received the Gospel of the Lord through divine revelation while he was alone with God in Arabia, most likely on Mount Sinai, the mountain of God: “Brothers, I testify to you that the Gospel I preach is not of human origin; for I did not receive it, nor was I taught it by any man, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”^[91] Paul received revelations from the Lord Jesus while seeking God’s face regarding the rapture of the Church. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed in the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the believers in Corinth: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are different kinds of service, but the same Lord; there are various works, but it is the same God who works all things in all. And to each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit of others. For example, to one is given, through the Spirit, to speak with wisdom; to another, to speak with knowledge, through the same Spirit; to another, faith, through the same Spirit; to another, the gift of healing, through the same Spirit; to another, the power to perform miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discernment of spirits; to another, various kinds of tongues; and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these things are worked by one and the same Spirit, who distributes to each one individually as He wills.”^[92] Other gifts given by the Spirit of the Lord include the gift of singing with anointing, the gift of helping, and the gift of intercession. All these spiritual gifts must be used for the edification of the Body of the Lord, under His guidance. All people who experience being filled with the Holy Spirit will receive at least one gift from the Holy Spirit. Paul had countless gifts, which he put to work in the service of others.

The eighth work is to make us fruitful. The Lord’s children must bear much fruit, and this fruit must endure: “I have appointed you to go and bear fruit, and that your fruit may endure.”^[93] Attending church is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are not called to go and sit in church merely to hear the Word from the Lord, but we are appointed to go in order to bear fruit. This refers to evangelism, a ministry in which we can bear fruit through the Holy Spirit. In the Epistle to the Galatians, we see what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are in the life of a Christian: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”^[94] Every Christian should examine himself sincerely to see what is present in his life: whether he bears the fruits of the Spirit or the fruits of the flesh. We must come before the Lord in repentance if we find in our lives the fruits of the flesh rather than the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

The ninth work of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into all truth: “The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go and join that chariot!’ Philip ran up and heard the Ethiopian reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’^[95] In this situation, the Spirit of the Lord guided Philip in his evangelistic ministry. It is essential to live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may know where to go in our evangelistic ministry. Another instance of the Spirit’s guidance concerns mission: “While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”^[96] The Bible states that the Holy Spirit provides guidance regarding the teaching of the Law: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than is necessary, namely, to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality; if you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well.”^[97]

The tenth work performed by the Holy Spirit is the work of judgment among believers as well as among those who oppose the Word of the Lord. Where the Body of the Lord is alive, God brings judgment through the Holy Spirit. An example of this is Ananias and Sapphira, who were judged to death.^[98] Another judgment carried out by the Holy Spirit was that of Elima the sorcerer, who opposed His work: “Then Saul, who is also called Paul, being filled with the Holy Spirit, stared intently at him and said, ‘You man full of all deceit and all wickedness, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness, will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is against you: you will be blind and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he groped about, seeking people to lead him by the hand.”^[99] This was the first miracle performed by Paul, a judgment through the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s judgment also applies to those who partake of His Supper unworthily, living in sin.

The eleventh work of the Holy Spirit is to call people into ministry. Unfortunately, in our day people have disregarded this command of the Lord and appoint for themselves teachers who tickle their ears with sweet and deceptive words. This is due to the absence of the Lord’s Spirit in that church: “Take care, then, of yourselves and of the entire flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as bishops, to shepherd the Church of the Lord, which He purchased with His own blood.”^[100] If we stray from Scripture, we will act according to the flesh, and all sorts of problems will arise in the church, such as divisions and quarrels. Those who serve as pastors over churches are responsible for the souls of those they teach. It is the Holy Spirit who chooses people for mission work. No one should go on a mission out of their own natural desire, but only if they are sent by the Holy Spirit. The lack of fruit in the missions being carried out is due to the fact that those people were not sent by the Spirit of the Lord.

The twelfth work of the Holy Spirit is to give Christians insight into the future. One example is the New Testament prophet Agab, who prophesied a great famine, and his prophecy was fulfilled. A person filled with the Holy Spirit will also understand the prophecies in Scripture concerning the end times, because the One who reveals them is none other than the Spirit of the Lord who wrote them. “There I found the disciples and stayed with them for seven days. The disciples, through the Spirit, told Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.”^[101] Here, it is the disciples who warn Paul through the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem; later, he will also be warned by the prophet Agabus.^[102]

Paul is the man to whom the Lord revealed many truths about the end times, including the mystery of the Church’s rapture: “But the Spirit clearly says that in the last days some will fall away from the faith, to follow deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons, led astray by the hypocrisy of liars, whose minds have been seared.”^[103] “Know this: in the last days there will be difficult times. For people will be self-centered, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreverent, lacking natural affection, unyielding, slanderers, unrestrained, untamed, unloving of what is good, traitors, insolent, conceited; loving pleasure more than loving God; having a form of godliness but denying its power. Stay away from such people.”^[104] In these verses, Paul is referring to Christians, not to people in the world. There are Christians who have only a form of godliness but deny its power, which is the Holy Spirit. Yet God preserves a remnant whom He awakens and uses through the Holy Spirit.

The thirteenth work of the Holy Spirit is to teach us how to pray: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts knows what the Spirit’s desire is; for He intercedes for the saints according to God’s will.”^[105] A person filled with the Holy Spirit will not always pray the same prayer or sing the same hymns; rather, the Holy Spirit renews his or her life day by day. Powerful prayer is that which is offered through the Holy Spirit—a fervent prayer—and not the product of our own minds: “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit.”^[106]

The fourteenth work that the Holy Spirit performs is to strengthen us: “May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace that faith brings, so that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you may be strong in hope!”^[107]  Even if we face struggles in our lives, the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with hope and strengthen us.

The fifteenth work of the Holy Spirit is to give us wisdom for spiritual matters: “And we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may know the things that God has given us through His grace. And we speak of these things not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Holy Spirit, using spiritual language for spiritual things.”^[108] Spiritual wisdom is obtained through faith.

The seventeenth work of the Holy Spirit is that He desires to rule over us entirely; He jealously claims us for Himself: “The Spirit whom God has placed to dwell within us jealously claims us for Himself. But in return, He gives us an even greater grace.”^[109] When the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we can no longer do as we please, but must live in obedience and submission to Him.

Seventeenth, the Holy Spirit unites us into the one Body of the Lord: “For we were all, in fact, have been baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we have all been made to drink of one Spirit. Thus, the body is not a single member, but many.”^[110] “And in Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”^[111] Only the Holy Spirit brings unity among God’s people, not a membership list or a particular denomination. Unity cannot be manufactured or forced; rather, it must be natural through the Spirit.

In the Bible, there are three commands that we must fulfill in relation to the Holy Spirit. The first command is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.^[112] The second commandment is not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom we have been sealed for the day of redemption.^[113] We can grieve the Holy Spirit through sin, but also through negligence in our life of faith. The third commandment is not to quench the Holy Spirit.^[114] If we persist in sin, we will end up quenching the Holy Spirit. We can simply witness quarrels in the Church and thereby end up quenching the Spirit. If we do not seek the work of the Holy Spirit every day, His work within us will come to an end.

  There is a difference between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a specific event in time that results in being filled with the Holy Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a one-time event, but being filled with the Holy Spirit is a continuous state that follows baptism in the Holy Spirit. The normal state of a Christian is to be filled with the Holy Spirit at all times. The Christians in the time of the Acts of the Apostles lived in the fullness of the Holy Spirit day by day. Christianity without being filled with the Holy Spirit is a form of dead piety, devoid of life and power.

 Three conditions must be met for the filling with the Holy Spirit. The first condition is repentance: “Repent,” Peter told them, “and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”^[115] The relationship with God begins with repentance. A Christian who does not live with fervor for the Lord must repent. Only after genuine repentance can we ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Each of us must examine our own condition, humble ourselves before the Lord, and ask for the strength to be holy people as the Lord requires of us. Revival begins with the repentance of Christians who do not live a pure and holy life.

The second condition is faith: “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to know from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? After having begun by the Spirit, do you now wish to finish by the flesh? Have you suffered so much in vain? If so, it is indeed in vain! Does the One who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you do so through the works of the Law or through hearing the message of faith?”^[116] The Holy Spirit is received through faith, not through personal effort.

The third condition is the laying on of hands upon the disciples by those filled with the Holy Spirit:

• “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and move on to maturity, without laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith in God, the teaching on baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgment to come.”^[117]

• “The apostles in Jerusalem, when they heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, sent Peter and John to them. They came to the Samaritans and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had merely been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”^[118]

• While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, after traveling through the upper regions of Asia, arrived in Ephesus. There he met some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” “Then with what baptism were you baptized?” he asked them. And they replied, “With the baptism of John.” Then Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance and told the people to believe in the One who was coming after him—that is, in Jesus.” When they heard these words, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in other tongues and to prophesy.”^[119]

• “Do not neglect the gift that is within you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders (the leaders of the Church).” 

• “That is why I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.”^[120]

• “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, and do not share in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.”^[121] Since Timothy was also filled with the Holy Spirit, he had the right to lay his hands on another person so that they too might be filled with the Spirit of the Lord, but on the condition that he examine that person’s life.

This is a fundamental teaching of Scripture that must not be overlooked. The Holy Spirit is also received through the laying on of hands, the primary condition being that the one laying hands on another must himself be filled with the Holy Spirit. People who are obedient and filled with a desire to serve the Lord with all their hearts will come to know all the Lord’s truths and live them out personally. Those who stubbornly refuse to accept the truths of Scripture do nothing but thwart God’s work in them. That is why we must be obedient to the Word of the Lord and fulfill all that is written.

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^[1] Genesis 1:1,2

^[2] Job 33:4

^[3] Genesis 3:22

^[4] Genesis 6:3

^[5] Genesis 11:5–7

^[6] Genesis 41:38, 39

^[7] Exodus 31:1–5

^[8] Exodus 35:34

^[9] Numbers 11:16, 17

^[10] Numbers 11:25

^[11] Numbers 11:27, 29

^[12] Numbers 24:2–4

^[13] Numbers 27:18

^[14] Deuteronomy 34:9

^[15] Judges 3:10

^[16] Judges 6:34

^[17] Judges 11:29

^[18] Judges 13:25

^[19] Judges 14:6

^[20] Judges 14:19

^[21] Judges 15:14

^[22] 1 Samuel 10:6–10

^[23] 1 Samuel 11:5–7

^[24] 1 Samuel 16:14

^[25] 1 Samuel 19:20–24

^[26] 1 Samuel 16:23

^[27] In Psalm 22, David receives a revelation concerning the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, and in Psalm 50, he speaks of God’s judgment. In Psalm 110, which the Lord Jesus quotes, it is made very clear that the Lord Jesus could not have been David’s earthly son because he calls Him “my Lord.”

^[28] 2 Samuel 23:2

^[29] Psalm 51:11

^[30] 1 Kings 18:12

^[31] 2 Kings 2:9

^[32] 2 Kings 2:15, 16

^[33] 2 Kings 5:26

^[34] 2 Chronicles 15:1–7

^[35] 2 Chronicles 20:14, 15

^[36] 2 Chronicles 24:20, 21

^[37] Nehemiah 9:20

^[38] Nehemiah 9:30

^[39] Isaiah 32:14, 15

^[40] Isaiah 44:2–4

^[41] Joel 2:28, 29

[42] Matthew 3:11

[43] John 1:29

[44] Luke 1:35

[45] Matthew 1:20

[46] Luke 1:41

[47] Luke 1:15

[48] Luke 1:67

[49] Luke 2:25

[50] Luke 2:47

[51] Matthew 3:16

[52] Matthew 3:15

[53] Revelation 5:10

[54] Luke 3:22

[55] John 3:34

[56] Luke 4:1, 2

[57] Luke 4:14.

[58] Matthew 12:15–18

[59] Matthew 12:28

[60] Luke 10:21

[61] Luke 10:17–20

[62] John 14:16, 17

[63] John 15:26

[64] John 16:13

[65] John 16:7

[66] John 20:19–22

[67] Luke 24:46–49

[68] John 7:37, 38

^[69] Acts 2:39

^[70] Acts 2:1–4, 7–11

^[71] Acts 2:12–17

^[72] 2 Timothy 3:12

^[73] Acts 1:12–14

^[74] Acts 2:1–4

^[75] Acts 2:37, 38

^[76] Psalm 18:1

^[77] Acts 2:38

^[78] Acts 2:41–47

^[79] 1 Corinthians 2:4, 5

^[80] Acts 9:31

^[81] 1 Peter 1:12

^[82] Galatians 5:16

^[83] Romans 8:2

^[84] Romans 8:12

^[85] Romans 15:16

^[86] 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18

^[87] 1 Corinthians 2:10–12

^[88] John 7:37–39

[89] John 6:63

^[90] Hebrews 2:4

^[91] Galatians 1:11, 12

^[92] 1 Corinthians 12:4–11

^[93] John 15:16

^[94] Galatians 5:22–25

^[95] Acts 8:29, 30

^[96] Acts 13:2

^[97] Acts 15:28, 29

^[98] Acts 5:5, 10

^[99] Acts 13:9

^[100] Acts 20:28

^[101] Acts 21:4

^[102] Acts 21:10

^[103] 1 Timothy 4:1

^[104] 2 Timothy 3:1–5

^[105] Romans 8:26, 27

^[106] Jude 1:20

^[107] Romans 15:13

^[108] 1 Corinthians 2:12–14

^[109] James 4:5, 6

^[110] 1 Corinthians 12:13, 14

^[111] Ephesians 2:22

^[112] Ephesians 5:18

^[113] Ephesians 4:30

^[114] 1 Thessalonians 5:19

^[115] Acts 2:38

^[116] Galatians 3:1–5

^[117] Hebrews 6:1,2 

^[118] Acts 8:14–17

^[119] Acts 19:1–6

^[120] 2 Timothy 1:6

^[121] 1 Timothy 5:22