26 lines
4.4 KiB
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26 lines
4.4 KiB
HTML
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">March 5</div></div>
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<h2>Holy Spirit Empowering: Three Terms, One Reality</h2>
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<div class="block"><i>"You shall be <b>baptized with</b> the <b>Holy Spirit</b> not many days from now…you shall receive power when the <b>Holy Spirit</b> has <b>come upon you</b>"…And they were all <b>filled with</b> the <b>Holy Spirit</b>.</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Act',1,5,8);">Acts 1:5, 8</a>; and <a onClick="return mV('Act',2,4);">2:4</a>)</div>
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<p>When the book of Acts addresses Holy Spirit empowering for ministry, <b>three</b> different <b>terms</b> are used to describe the <b>same reality</b>. When Jesus promised this power, He used the term <i>"<b>baptized with</b>."</i> <i>"You shall be <b>baptized with</b> the Holy Spirit not many days from now."</i> When He indicated that this power would result in a worldwide witness, the term <i>"<b>come upon you</b>"</i> was used. <i>"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has <b>come upon you</b>."</i> Then, when these promises of the Spirit were fulfilled, the term employed was <i>"<b>filled with</b>." "And they were all <b>filled with</b> the Holy Spirit."</i></p>
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<p>It is clear that these three sets of terms in
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<a onClick="return mV('Act',1,'1-');"><a onClick="return mV('Act',1,'-');">Acts 1</a></a> and
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<a onClick="return mV('Act',2,'1-');">Acts 2</a> are all referring to the same spiritual phenomenon: the Holy Spirit <b>empowering</b> Jesus' followers for <b>witness</b>. Each terminology may carry its own descriptive implications. To be <i>"<b>baptized with</b>"</i> the Spirit is like being inundated by Him. To have the Spirit <i>"<b>come upon you</b>"</i> is like being impacted from above by Him. To be <i>"<b>filled with</b>"</i> the Spirit is like overflowing with Him. Nevertheless, although each expression brings its own picture, they all are describing the same reality. All three terms are biblically accurate (although <i>"<b>filled with</b> the Holy Spirit"</i> is used most frequently throughout Acts).</p>
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<p>These promises of Holy Spirit empowering <b>cannot</b> be monopolized by any denominational group or theological heritage. Nor can they be <b>ignored</b> by any individual or segment within the body of Christ. These truths are for <b>all</b> of God's children. Every disciple of the Lord Jesus must continue to learn and to grow in this <b>essential spiritual empowering</b>.</p>
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<p>Perhaps a word of clarification is in order. These promises are not about the Spirit indwelling the people of God. The Holy Spirit definitely lives within every born again believer in Jesus Christ. <i>"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the <b>Spirit</b> of God <b>dwells in you</b>?"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('1Cr',3,16);">1 Corinthians 3:16</a>). The Spirit already lived within the apostles when they were given these promises. <i>"And when He had said this, He <b>breathed</b> on them, and said to them, '<b>Receive the Holy Spirit</b>'"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn',20,22);">John 20:22</a>). These promises are about the indwelling Spirit <b>flooding</b> and <b>overflowing</b> our lives with the <b>empowering reality</b> of His presence.</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">Dear Lord Jesus, You came to give us life abundant. Please fill my life to overflowing with the empowering work of Your Spirit. Lord, I am not seeking personal benefits or experiences. I am asking to become a more effective witness. I need the Holy Spirit's power that I might reflect the reality of the risen Christ, in Your mighty name, Amen.</div></div></div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020"><a href="./devotions/daybyday/03/0304.html">Yesterday's Reading</a>
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<a href="./devotions/daybyday/03/0306.html">Tomorrow's Reading</a>
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