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acts upon or operates in human lives
through the Holy Spirit?
Why do almost none of the
churches and ministers agree about
what the Holy Spirit is, or about why
we need the Holy Spirit?
lsn't it about time we understood
tbe truth about tbis most vital sub–
ject?
Preachlng About a Counterfeit
Splrit
Most people are totally unaware of
Paul's warning that there would be
many false churches preaching dif–
ferent doctrines about the Holy Spir–
it-deceiving the many into accept–
ing a different spirit from the one,
true Holy Spirit revealed in Scrip–
ture.
Notice: "But 1 fear"- Paul was
sorrowed; he knew what was coming
in our day- "lest somehow, as the
serpent beguiled Eve in his crafti-
. ness, your thoughts should be cor–
rupted from the simplicity and the
purity that is toward the Christ"
-Christ's doctrine is simple, when
we understand it; it is not a theologi–
cal mystery!
Continuing with 11 Corinthians
11:3-4: "For if he that cometh"-any
false minister coming in the name of
Christ- "preacheth another Jesus"
- the world is filled with,the preach–
ing of a different Jesus who was born,
who died and rose ata different time
than the true Messiah, a different Je–
sus who rejected the Father's immu–
table laws-"whom we have not
preached"-says Paul-"or if ye re–
ceive another spirit, which ye have
not received"-from the preaching
of the apostles-"ye might bear well
with him"--or accept him.
Tbat is what has happened today!
Paul warned about receiving a " dif–
ferent spirit" and "a different gos–
pel."
This prophetic warning from Paul
has already been fulfilled! The world
has accepted a different spirit- the
spirit of error- not the spirit of
truth.
Professing Christianity is split
asunder by hundreds of different de–
nominations preaching different doc–
trines from those of the inspired
apostles of Jesus Christ.
lt
is time we
face facts squarely and look into the
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1979
Bible to see what God reveals about
His Holy Spirit.
How to Recelve the Holy Spirit
There is only one Holy Spirit- <mly
one source of divine spi ritual power.
Without it we will never gain eterna!
life!
How do we receive it?
Open your Bible to Luke 11:13.
Here are Jesus' own words:
"If
ye
then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children: how
· much more shall your beavenly Fa–
ther give the Holy Spirit to them that
. ask him?"
Observe that the Holy Spirit is a
gift.
It
is called a gift in Acts 10:45
and 11: 17. Then the Holy Spirit is
not something we were born with, nor
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Spiritual qualities and
entities seem so unreal to
most peop/e. And no
wonder. Spiritua/ things
are invisible, not
discerned by the senses
until revealed in writing
in the Bible!
' '
is it anything we earn.
It
is the source
of spiritual power we need, but which
we receive as a gift uporr asking God
for it.
But how do we know that God
hears us when we ask Him in prayer?
Here is the answer: "Whatsoever we
ask, we receive of him, because we
keep his commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in his
sight. And this is his commandment,
That we should believe on the name
of bis Son Jesus Christ, and !ove one
another, as he gave us command–
ment" (1 John 3:22-23).
Notice that we must not only re–
pent and believe in Jesus Christ, but
we must also obey the Father- that
is what !ove is. "This is the !ove of
God, that we keep his command–
ments"
(l
John 5:3).
If
we perform
these conditions by surrendering our
wills unconditionally to God, He will
answer us. We can then receive His
Ho1y Spirit.
.
Observe how this is again ex–
plained in Acts 2:38: "Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be bap–
tized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit."
That is how! You begin by repent–
ing-by turning away from your past
sins thrqugh the blood of Christ, by
being baptized (immersed). You are
then unconditionally promised the
Holy Spirit. God has bound H.imself
to perform His part if you first per–
form yours. You can ask God there–
after to direct you through His Holy
Spirit to lead a new life in conformity
witb His revealed Word, the Bible.
To continue, in Acts 5:32 you read:
"And we"- the apostles are speak–
ing- "are witnesses of these things;
and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom
God hath given to .them that obey
him."
Notice the stress placed upon obe–
dience, upon submission of your mind
to the will of God- to the law ofGod.
Jesus said, "Not my will, but thine, be
done" (Luke 22:42). God expects a
submissive, obedient attitude before
we receive the Holy Spirit. How plain
it is that the Holy Spirit is t.he spirit of
total submission and obedience to the
Father. This is the way toa full, abun–
dant, power-filled Jife!
How to Lead a Frultful Llfe
How many of you feel empty and
frustrated; feel spiritually lifeless?
Here's how to lead a rejuvenated,
fruitful life- how to be imbued with
power!
Notice the fruit of the Spirit: "The
fruit of the Spirit is !ove, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faith–
fulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such there is no law" (Gal.
5:22-23, RSV). It is by the fruits of
the Spirit that you know you have re–
ceived the Holy Spirit of God. "By
their fruits ye shall know them," said
Jesus (Matt. 7:20).
The first fruit is !ove. Love is the
greatest spiritual power on earth.
"The !ove of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is
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