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Κηρύγματα

Subject 8 : The Holy Spirit

[8-1] The True Holy Spirit Works Together with the Word of God’s Promise (Acts 1:4-8)

💡This sermon is from Chapter 1 of Pastor Paul C. Jong’s Volume 3 book, “HOW CAN WE RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT AS A GIFT?”

(Acts 1:4-8)

4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me;

5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’

7 And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’

Is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit a gift from God, or is it given by one’s own efforts?

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God given to those who have received the removal of sin through faith.

I once received the flame of the Holy Spirit through prayer, but that flame did not last long and was extinguished by my sins.

However, now through this book, I want to convey the truth about the Holy Spirit that will dwell within us forever through the complete gospel, not a false spirit that extinguishes in the face of sin.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit that I am conveying to you through this writing is not something that can be received through prayer, but only through faith that believes in the truth of the water and the Spirit. Through this book, I aim to guide you to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You will come to understand that these words I offer are spoken directly to you by the Holy Spirit.

It is God’s will and an absolute command that we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through this single book, you will precisely know and believe in the way to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit caused by God.

If this book alone is insufficient, I recommend reading the two volumes I have previously published. Through these books that convey the gospel of truth, you will come to possess a complete faith before God.

Many people today who claim to believe in Jesus are trying to receive the Holy Spirit in the same way as the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost.

False leaders use this to make a lot of money. They deceive people into thinking that the Holy Spirit can be received through human effort.

They pursue powers that include seeing visions with the eyes of the flesh, performing miracles, hearing the direct voice of Jesus, speaking in tongues, healing illnesses, and driving out demons.

However, they have sin in their hearts and are under the influence of sin, that is, under the influence of Satan. Thus, many people are still unwittingly following the work of evil spirits, not the Holy Spirit.

In this way, Satan uses everything that can deceive humans to tempt people with signs and miracles.

Jesus commanded His disciples, ‘Not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me.”’

The baptism of the Holy Spirit described in Acts was not something that came through “experience,” “dedication,” or a “believer’s repentance prayer,” but a waiting based on the promise that the Holy Spirit would be given to those who believe in the beautiful gospel.

For reference, the disciples of Jesus at this time were those who believed in the salvation work performed by Jesus, that is, the gospel of water and the Spirit.

This message teaches us that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does not come through fervent prayer, but rather as a gift from God the Father and Jesus Christ, bestowed through faith in the beautiful truth of the gospel of water and the Spirit.

Truly, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs because of the faith in the gospel given by Jesus Christ.

God has given everyone the word of water and the Spirit, through which they can receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:3-5).

The phrase ‘promise of the Holy Spirit’ forms a consistent theme throughout the New Testament.

In Acts, after Pentecost, when Peter preached about the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39), it was revealed that ‘the Holy Spirit is a gift from God that dwells in those who believe the beautiful gospel wholeheartedly and are therefore free from sin.’

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as spoken of in the Bible, is a gift bestowed upon those who have received the removal of sins, and it fulfills all promises given only to those who have been cleansed from sins.

The promised Holy Spirit in the New Testament is not a result of negotiations or relationships between God and humans, but a gift directly guided by the Triune God. Therefore, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit described in Acts was not attained through the power of human prayer (Acts 8:19-20).

The Holy Spirit, He indeed comes only to those who believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit that Jesus gave us.

Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to indwell them. This promise can be found in the Bible where it says, “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5).

Therefore, the disciples who believed in the gospel of water and the Spirit were waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.

In the Bible, it is clear that the faith of those who received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was determined not by the efforts of the recipients, but within the will of the one who promised.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit that came upon the disciples mentioned in Acts was not due to human effort or even spiritual achievements.

The waiting of the disciples for the Holy Spirit as recorded in Acts was fulfilled “not many days from now.” This was the first blessing that came upon the early Church in the New Testament era.

The written word shows that the promise was fulfilled through the disciples’ faith in Jesus, not through fasting, prayer, or acts of sacrifice.

After Jesus’ ascension, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurred simultaneously with the remission of sins for those who believed in Jesus and received the removal of their sins.

The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit Came upon Them ‘Suddenly’ from Heaven

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1), and the disciples of Jesus were gathered together waiting for the Lord’s promise to send the Holy Spirit. It was then that the event of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples occurred.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:2-4).

As we see in Acts 2:2, The Holy Spirit came “suddenly from heaven.” Here, the word ‘suddenly’ implies a meaning that it occurred not due to anything human, but rather where human will was removed.

Moreover, the phrase ‘from heaven’ well explains the origin of the Holy Spirit and also tells us that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot be received through human will or effort.

Acts 2:2—The phrase ‘from heaven’ reveals that the idea of receiving the Holy Spirit through earnest prayer is a deception.

In other words, the descent of the Holy Spirit from heaven means that the Spirit does not dwell within us through human-made tongues, efforts, or sacrifices.

The tongues used by the disciples of Jesus were utilized to testify to the gospel of water and the Spirit to the local people because the disciples, unfamiliar with the local languages, needed the help of the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel in those local languages.

Acts 2:3-4, “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Here, we must pay attention to the phrase “One sat upon each of them.” The disciples gathered to wait for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit were already believers in the gospel of water and the Spirit.

However, many Christians today misunderstand this passage, believing that when humans pray, they hear a sound like wind —“shwee~, shwee~”— and that this is how the Holy Spirit descends. This misconception stems from a lack of understanding and confusion about the nature of the Holy Spirit.

When the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, does He come with a certain sound? No, He does not.

The sound heard by the physical ear is the sound made by Satan when he tries to devour people’s souls.

Satan uses the guise of the work of the Holy Spirit to confuse people, producing a “shwee~, shwee~” sound along with visions and voices, working through tongues and false miracles. However, people mistakenly believe these things are evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Furthermore, some think that when the Holy Spirit comes, He works with a “shwee~” sound like tongues of fire, but such belief is deceived by evil spirits.

The Acts of the Apostles records that the coming of the Holy Spirit worked upon the beautiful water and the faith in the gospel of the Holy Spirit.

The Faith of the Disciples That Allowed the Holy Spirit to Come upon Them

The reason the events of Pentecost in Acts 2 are emphasized is that the disciples were dwelling within the gospel of water and Spirit, which enabled them to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

When Christians today think of “Pentecost,” they often imagine supernatural signs and chaotic scenes accompanying the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Consequently, many churches teach and practice receiving the Holy Spirit through fasting prayers, fervent prayers, or laying on of hands. However, phenomena such as entering a trance during prayer, collapsing backward and lying down for days, or trembling uncontrollably are not works of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is rational and respects personality. As God, who possesses the attributes of intellect, emotion, and righteousness, does not act rudely toward people. The coming of the Holy Spirit occurs as a truth when one believes in the gospel of water and the Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Peter testified that the Holy Spirit had come upon the disciples as prophesied by the prophet Joel. This is because the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the word granted only to those who have received the washing of sins, that is, the removal of sins, through faith in the gospel of water and the Spirit.

In other words, Peter testified that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes to those who believe in the truth that Jesus was baptized by John to save humanity from sin and shed His blood on the cross.

Peter’s preaching discussed the prophecy of Joel, explaining why Jesus had to be baptized by John and why we must believe in Jesus’ baptism.

Knowing and believing this truth is the knowledge of the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit, and it is the truth that enables Christians to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Do you believe in the beautiful gospel about water that Peter testified about (1 Peter 3:21)? Or do you still hold vain and superstitious religious beliefs to receive the Holy Spirit?

Are you trying to receive the Holy Spirit by your own strength, independent of God’s plan?

Even if people abandon idols and confess their sins through repentance prayers, there is no way for the Holy Spirit to indwell in people’s hearts unless they believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit.

Are you still waiting for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit without knowing the gospel of water and the Spirit? Do you know the true meaning of the baptism Jesus received and the shedding of His blood on the cross, which can allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in your heart?

You must know that the only way to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is by believing in your heart in the gospel of water and Spirit.

The true way of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling given to us by God has been granted only to those who believe in the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit.

We are thankful to God for giving us the word of water and the Spirit that allows us to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below.