Here are a few more things that struck me as being a little odd. These are from the lesson handout for next week. I'll just post some quotes from the handout.
Are you trying to witness for Christ, to serve Him in your church, or to lead your family to receive Him without having ever received God's promised Holy Spirit, not only to influence you from without but actually to dwell within you? If so, you must stop and first receive Him as the Holy Spirit of Christ to dwell within you and to experience His power to enable you to do the eternal work for which God has created you. This is the experience of being born again through faith in Christ.
I can't quite put my finger on why this particular quote rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's just too vague and fuzzy.
These men in Acts 19 were very confused. In the early days of John the Baptist, they had been baptized with water to indicate their desire to reform their lives and to prepare for Messiah's coming. However, this was not an experience of salvation, for they had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. Certainly they had never received Christ to indwell them through the person of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they still needed to receiv Him (and by receiving Him they would at the same time be baptized with the Holy Spirit) in order to experience the full fruit and assurance of salvation
I'm not so sure that just because these men had not received the Holy Spirit that they were not saved (they may not have been though). I mean even the apostles didn't receive the Holy Spirit until Pentecost, but I'm sure they were actually saved. What about all the saints before Christ? This raises some questions I'll ask in another thread.
Do you have the proof of being filled with the Holy Spirit, which is power to witness to who Christ is and what He has done
I'm not so sure the ultimate proof of being filled with the Holy Spirit is "the power to witness to who Christ is and what He has done." In Philippians, Paul rejoices that even some people who preach the Gospel out of envy and strife are still preaching the Gospel.
It is important to understand that God's promises require our deliberate prayer, even as we need personally to write a check before we can receive money deposited under our name in the bank. For example, God's promise of cleansing and new creation was followed by the requirement that they plead with God to do it for them (Ezekiel 36:25-27,37).
I just don't think this is correct.
From that time (Pentecost) the Holy Spirit is given to all believers. He enters immediately the heart of anyone who receives the cleansing of the Cross and surrenders to Christ as Lord and Savior
I just wonder about the terminology used. For example "cleansing of the Cross" and "surrenders" again seems very vague to me.
Are you now - this week - preparing for the Holy Spirit by receiving Him into your personal being (the baptism with the Holy Spirit)? Will you ask God to bring you into a deeper experience of what the Holy Spirit can do for you and through you by filling your entire being (the filling of the Holy Spirit)? You can prepare for the Holy Spirit's work by 1) taking time to let God make these Bible passages speak to you, 2) praying to Him about it and telling Him this is what you desire, and 3) doing some act of obedience to what He tells you to do in your present circumstances as you study these Bible passages.
Again, where is the Gospel. Where is the truth about man's sin and corruption and utter inability to save himself. Where is the truth about God's holiness, goodness, righeousness, justice, etc. Where is Christ. Why did Christ have to die? What did his death accomplish on the Cross? All these things seem to be non-existant. And besides the application points almost make me cringe. Is all that it really takes to prepare yourself to receive Christ (I don't like how the emphasis is shifted onto receiving the Holy Spirit instead of receiving Christ) is to do "some act of obedience" as you study the Bible.
Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill with these quotes? Even as I'm writing this post, I'm coming more to the conclusion that I should pass on this study.
John
