How do I Receive the Holy Spirit?

Dicipleship Part 3
Andrew K. Fox
Year of alignment

Last week the question was: 'who is the Holy Spirit?' This week the question is: 'How do I receive the Holy Spirit?' A young boy realized that he had left the sword of his master at home in a neighboring town. His master was a knight about to joust in a county tournament. If he found out the boy would receive a beating. He dashed from village to village and found a sword stuck in a rock. From the look of it the sword had been there some time. With hope and expectation be pulled on the sword extracting it from the rock with ease. In that moment two things happened: he was the possessor of the sword called Excalibur forged in Avalon and the possessor of the throne of England. In the treasured folk law of England Arthur becomes King by a sovereign act. Because of the sword he is victorious in battle.

How and who

There is an obvious message happening that is delightful and a subtle message that is not so delightful. The delight is the excitement and adventure that comes with being a king. The not so delightful message is that 'how' he received the sword and subsequent throne translated into 'who' received. He received by sovereign will but at the same time excluded everyone else from receiving what he now possessed. How becomes who.

Old and New Testament

Our understanding of receiving the Holy Spirit is largely informed by an Old Testament view of sovereign will. Joseph received the Holy Spirit to work as Prime Minister in Egypt (Genesis 41:38) "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" Moses received the Holy Spirit for the expressed purpose of leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Later the seventy elders receive the Holy Spirit. (Numbers 11:17) "I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them." Various craftsmen received the Holy Spirit for the purpose of having skilled ability to build the tabernacle. (Exodus 31:3) "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts…" The judges of Israel were filled with the Spirit for the expressed purpose of ruling. (Judges 3:10) "The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war." At least five Kings of Israel were filled with the Spirit to reign as monarchs. The greatest of these was King David who pleaded with God that the Holy Spirit would not be withdrawn from him. (Psalm 51:11) "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me." The prophets of the Old Testament received the Holy Spirit on a certain day, month and year of a particular king's reign to speak for God. But in every Old Testament example it was Excalibur stuck in the stone available to the general mass but literally only for one. 'How' very quickly becomes 'who' receives. It limits people and leaves the general population disappointed.

Three expressions

1. Baptized: There are three expressions within this one expression. Baptism 'in' 'of' and 'with' the Holy Spirit. I am under whelmed by prepositional theology. If the sponge is bone dry and immersed into water is the sponge holding the water or the water holding the sponge? The answer is yes.

2. Filled: Some make a distinction between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and subsequent times when the Spirit fills you. There is a point here but it is not altogether valid. (Acts 2:4) "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…" But this was the first time they had experienced the Holy Spirit. At a time of persecution and difficulty they gathered together in prayer. (Acts 4:31) "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…" They were filled again, refreshed and renewed after the initial experience. When Saul was blinded by God he was taken to Ananias who prayed specifically for him. (Acts 9:17) "…has sent me so that you might be filled with the Holy Spirit…"

3. Received: (Acts 18:14-17) "When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." We see a compounded expression that includes 'filled' received' and 'baptized' all in one experience.

Conclusion

The result is fullness and satisfaction. It is certainly not for an elite few who have a mandate from God to accomplish something very public and prolific. The Holy Spirit is for the general population to receive, be filled with and baptized in. If you confuse 'who' then you will confuse 'how' you receive, get filled and baptized in, with and of the Holy Spirit.

Example

A man was mowing the grass at his church and was filled with the Holy Spirit. He went home and told his friends what had happened. Over the next few weeks men lined up to mow the grass because that is how you receive and it will determine who. If this is the case there is not enough grass to cut. 'How' becomes a posture, place, time, experience and certain approach. In that time in that place in that moment postured like that the Holy Spirit will come upon you. However you received, filled and baptized in, of and with the Holy Spirit is your testimony but should never be a stumbling block in how others receive.

Gift of God

(Luke 10:34) "He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine." There is fresh oil for every believer. It is subsequent to receiving the Holy Spirit. Never hesitate or be afraid to ask for the freshness of God to fill you. Strength for weakness. Wisdom in the face of opportunity. Freshness in a time of dryness. (Psalm 92:10) "…fine oils have been poured upon me." The parable of the ten virgins shows you that life can burn up the oil you have. We do not leak but burn up what has been poured in. Every time you battle in prayer or endure a tough time you are burning oil. The garments of despair and heaviness are changed for garments of praise and triumph in times of grief. The subsequent infillings of the Holy Spirit should be precious to every believer.

Intentional advances

The Holy Spirit is a person with personality and personhood. When a husband reaches across to his wife in love making advances towards her and he is rejected, how do you think he feels? Like a wife, just when you don't expect it the Holy Spirit makes his advances towards you with intension. Are you open and receptive to his touch? If you are not receiving the Holy Spirit you are receiving something else. We are habitually addicted to the things of this world. Not sinful things but distractions. The television demands your time and full attention. In that least likely moment the Spirit could make his advances towards you with intension. Imagine a husband reading his newspaper at the breakfast table paying no attention to what is happening. Would a wife not want to grab that newspaper and shout 'I'm talking to you!' But this is not how the Spirit relates to you. We are so plugged into the world that the Holy Spirit has to send what we now call 'revival' with phenomena just to get our attention. It leaves the one waving Excalibur in the air claiming they have something you do not have. We need to develop an all-day awareness of his presence

Revival

No physical manifestation or gift measures spirituality. A genuine acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is Lord is the measuring line. (1 Corinthians 12:3) "No one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." When Moses encountered God on Mount Sinai his face was glowing. (Exodus 34:29) "…his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord." Paul suggests that those who receive the Holy Spirit reflect the glory of God like Moses. At the transfiguration of Christ his face shone like the sun. (Matthew 17:2) "…his face shone like the sun…" At the trial of Stephen something similar happened. (Acts 6:15) "…they saw that his face was like that of an angel." How you interpret this becomes who has received the Holy Spirit. Is the radiance a skin pigment glow, glistening in the eyes, attractive smile or an all over shine like a freshly waxed car? One thing is certain that there is a difference in your face.
• Strength like Samson to Judge or David to fight Goliath

• Boldness like Moses before Pharaoh, Elijah before Ahab, Gideon before the Midianites or Elisha before the prophets of Baal. Then there was new born church where people taught with boldness.

• Trembling or shaking is a common physical response to the Holy Spirits presence.

• Drunkenness was a common Old and New Testament experience that was not slurred speech or silliness but an overwhelming.

• Weeping was common in mourning for the loss of his presence or happiness in his presence.

• Laughter from Sarah laughing at the miracle of her pregnancy to the kings of Israel laughing at the threats of their enemies.

• Anger and strong words like King Saul and Christ out of zeal and indignation. Deborah was famous for her anointed angry words in the face of weak men. Peter becomes assertive with Sapphira the lying wife.

• Mobility and immobility like Philip transported to the side of the Ethiopian or Elijah racing ahead of Ahab's chariots to the priests in the tabernacle then the temple that could not minister.

• Falling down voluntarily or involuntarily like from Abraham in covenant with God to John on the Island of Patmos.

Conclusion

It is not that these things must be present but that they may be present. And in some cases may not be Biblical in terms of doctrine but Biblically allowable. The power and presence of God is not for personal experience but for evangelism. In the journey to Oz the tin man wants a heart. The lion wants courage and the scarecrow wants a brain. But Dorothy wanted a person. She wanted her aunt back on the farm in Kansas. Ask God for the person of the Holy Spirit.

Fasting

What kind of fast could you go one? Food, television, books, hobbies, sports etc. When you take the time to do this you will see how addicted and plugged in you are to the world and its distractions. Unplug from sources of income. Not financial but emotional or informational and get back to a discipline and diet of God's Word. It will shock you just how badly developed your worldview really is. At the same time it will sharpen your spiritual sense to the voice of the Holy Spirit and times of corporate worship.