The Holy Spirit is a person or God himself, as it is described in the Bible. We can receive the Holy Spirit by repenting, leaving the ways of sins and following the footprint of Jesus Christ.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The mainstream christian doctrine considers the Holy Spirit as a person in the Trinity, whereas some other groups hold the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of one God, the creator of the Universe and the whole mankind.
Jesus was conceived in the virgin Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit.Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit and then preached the gospel boldly. In the Bible the Holy Spirit is indicated as the giver of power, encouragement and boldness. We find the name Holy Spirit is mentioned several times in the New Testament.
Why do we need the Holy Spirit?
We need the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus’ footprint by living the way Jesus lived on this Earth and fulfil the mission He has given us.The most important part of each and every christian person is to walk the way Jesus walked, and how He walked, He walked the power of the Holy Spirit.(1 John 2:6) says whoever says that he lives in Jesus, must live like Jesus lived. And Holy Spirit More Important For Salvation.
What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit ?
The best example of the Spirit filled person is Jesus Christ, So in order to understand what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to see the life of Jesus Christ, living with a hate towards sin but immense love towards sinner, obedience to the Word of God and a pure humbleness.
When we start living like Jesus lived, it portrays that we are filled with the Holy Spirit. There were two people who said follow me, one is Jesus and another Paul.(Matthew 4:18-20), Jesus said to follow him.
(1 Corinthians 11:1), Paul said to follow him as he followed the example of Christ.Filling with the Holy Spirit is not all about speaking in tongues but following Jesus.Peter, a coward man who denied Christ before a servant girl, was preaching Jesus boldly and challenging the chief priest after the day of the pentecost. This is what means by filling with the Holy Spirit.
The apostles were afraid of Jews and were praying together but after receiving the Holy Spirit, they started to preach boldly. This indicates who the Holy Spirit is.
How to receive the Holy Spirit?
We find in Acts 2:38, in the day of pentecost, believers of Jesus Christ were filled with the Holy Spirit as they were praying together. and then Peter stands and tells to the non-believers what is actually happening there, when people asked Peter, what shall we do? Peter said to them, Repent of your sins (means, turning away from the evil ways and following the footprint of Jesus Christ) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
God is more eager to fill us with the Holy Spirit than we are eager to receive the Holy Spirit but for that we need to pay the price, price is we must repent and leave the sinful ways and follow Jesus.
The Holy Spirit can not come into the unrepentant heart filled with sin.
(Luke 11: 11-12) says:11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Link- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011&version=NIV
Jesus said that if we ask the Holy Spirit then God will give us, but why do we have to ask because God wants to give the Holy Spirit only to those who value it. He does not want to give us anything forcefully that’s why He wants us to ask for it.
When our hands are full of many other unimportant things, we become unable to receive valuable things, in order to receive valuable things first we must make our hands empty. In the same manner in order to receive the Holy Spirit, which is the most valuable for every believer, we must first repent and empty our heart from sins.
This is the reason, the first requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit is Repenting and receiving the forgiveness of sins.
So, we see that in order to receive the Holy Spirit we need to ask from God and now let us see how to ask?
(Luke 11:5-85 )Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
Link- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011&version=NIV
This story above portrays that God wants the earnest seeker of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is very precious. That’s why He wants to see that, are we really eager or not. If we are really eager, we will never stop asking for the Holy Spirit unless we receive it. And then God finds that we are truly eager and hungry for the Holy Spirit, He will give to us.
In (Luke 11:5-8), we find that the person went to ask for bread not for himself but for his friend who was hungry, in the same manner, we must ask the Holy Spirit for helping the other lost souls to be gathered in the kingdom of God, not for showing ourselves off that how spiritual we are.
If we have a clear and pure motive with genuine eagerness then God promised to give the Holy Spirit to us.
How to know that you are filled with the Holy Spirit?
When you start living the way Jesus lived, you can be assured that you are filled with the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23), says that the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
When we find these fruits in our daily lives, we can know that we are filled with the Holy Spirit. How do we know Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit or Peter and Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit? It is not by speaking in tongues rather by living a sinless life full of fruits of the Holy Spirit.
What Are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and what is their purpose?
Gift of the Holy Spirit is the gifts (wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues) for the true believers of Jesus Christ to enable them for the common benefit of God’s people and for saving the lost souls and gathering them to the kingdom of God.
(1 Corinthians 12:8-10) 8To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
Link- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011&version=NIV
What is the fruit of the Spirit and the purpose of them?
Fruit of the Spirit are fruits produced in the life of a true christian who has received the Holy Spirit.
(Galatians 5:22-23)22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Link- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011&version=NIV
When we receive the Holy Spirit in our heart, all these fruits of the Spirit are displayed in and through our lives as a result.
Purpose of the fruit of the Spirit is to bring back the image in our human lives that God created us with. The nature that Jesus displayed throughout His life on the Earth.
Jesus Christ has revealed that image of God mentioned in Genesis 1:27, and once we accept Jesus Christ in our lives as our Lord and saviour and receive the Holy Spirit in our heart that lost image is re-established in our lives.
