CONDITIONS FOR INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

John 14:21-23; 1 Cor. 6:16-20.

God has challenged us to be Holy because He is Holy: 1 Peter 1:15-16. One can be Holy only when the Holy Spirit is in him: John 15:5.

What does it take to be endowed with the Spirit of God? There are seven conditions revealed in the NT for the reception of the Holy Spirit:

Repentance (Acts 2:27-38). Repentance is first because without it, no other conditions would matter. Repentance is a radical departure from who we are and what we do, to who God is and what He wants us to do. Peter’s sermon is clear. They needed to repent from the act of rejecting Christ and crucifying Him.

This is repentance from unbelief in what Christ is capable of doing for us. Jesus Himself preached: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Rom. 2:4 is about this repentance which comes from God alone. Repentance is coming to grips with the fact that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, One who owns everything from our breath to eternal life could yield His life, His all for me. Continuous sinning grieves God. Repentance is our apology to God.

Implicit Trust: “We would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith,” Galatians 3:14. There is a difference belief and trust. We believe God created the world in six days. That is no trust. We believe the Sabbath is Saturday. We believe Christ died for us. That is no trust. Trust is doing something contrary to reason because you have confidence in the one who said so. We do not have to depend on feelings to believe that we have the Spirit of God. We have to believe that we have it because God said so.

The promise is found in Luke 11:13 that He will give us the Holy Spirit if we asked Him. After asking, we simply have to believe that we Him and act accordingly. Claim the promise of God in your life, because He is willing to fill you with His love, power and grace. After your prayer in the morning for the Holy Spirit, believe that the Holy Spirit is in control of your life, not because you feel it but because you trust the One who promised.

Obedience (Acts 5:32): In the Bible, faith and obedience go hand in hand. If you love God with all your heart, and the Holy Spirit is filled you, you will obey whatever He says. That is what he said in John 14:23. 1 John 2:5-6, 1 John 3:22-24 explain further. This obedience is not Pharisaic but from the heart, a genuine desire to please God. It is the desire to make His day. God gives His Holy Spirit to those who are willing to obey Him.

A burden to Share Christ: Luke 10:30-37 talks about sharing God’s love. Why do you want the Holy Spirit in your life? Is it because to share or glorify Christ for all to know Him. If we have a burden for lost souls, God is willing to give His Holy Spirit to empower us to share and glorify His Son.

PERSISTENT INTERCESSION: Luke 11:8-10, 13 illustrates persistent intercession. The Greek word ANAIDEIA means to be shamelessly importunate, pressing on for your request with no doubt. It is to be so eager that you will not accept “NO!” for an answer.

Paul calls it “Praying without ceasing:” 1 Thess. 5:17. With your Bible in hand and a promise opened, cry out to the Lord and say: Lord you promised me this in this passage. If you genuinely desire to be filled with the Spirit of God to overflowing, ask and keep on asking, until it happens: PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens.

The Holy Spirit is a divine gift and the Father wants to be sure that we really need Him to dwell with us. Sin against Him is unpardonable. Our hearts needs persuasion by insistence. Wrestle with God as Jacob did: “Bless me or you will not go!”

HONOURING YOUR BODY TEMPLE: Another condition in the NT for the endowment of the Holy Spirit is to honour our bodies as the Temple of God: 2 Cor. 6:16-20, 1 Cor. 6:15-20. The Bible clearly teaches that our bodies are the temple of God. Hence we need to glorify God with our bodies: 1 Cor. 10:31. This is what the first ANGEL calls for in Rev. 14:7.

If we want the Holy Spirit, if we wish to make room for God in our lives, we simply cannot treat our bodies any way as we wish: Romans 8:13. Our daily personal choices affecting our physical bodies will always impact our spiritual health as well. Don’t be deceived; you are what you eat. Wilful disobedience is an abomination to God: Prov. 28:9; 1 Cor. 10:16, 22-23.

HAVING THE DESIRE TO LET CHRIST ABIDE IN THE HEART: Since the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ, having the Holy Spirit means having the very image of Christ reproduced in us: John 16:14; 1 John 3:24.

If we have no desire to have Christ abide is our hearts, then nothing else about the Christian life makes any sense. Demons want to abide in your heart to rule you. They exhibit their presence by our behavior: hatred, envy, anger, jealousy, lust, eating anything, drinking anything, sleeping anywhere, etc. We need to make a decision to have Christ abide is our hearts: John 15:5.

When Christ is in us, the outflow is obvious: Romans 5:5; Romans 8:14-16. Who is in you? To whom do you belong? How will your life end?

Andrews L. Ewoo, October, 1, 2011.

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