How do we receive the Holy Spirit? Every Christian denomination might differ on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but we can all agree we receive the Holy Spirit when we are saved.
In Acts 5:32, we read; We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Most Christians would argue we can not do anything to receive the Holy Spirit; it is by grace through faith, just as salvation is by grace through faith. But here in Acts 5:32, we see the Bible says Yehovah gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. So, according to Acts, we have to do something to receive the Holy Spirit; we have to obey Yehovah.
Yes, it does not say obey Jesus; it says obey His Father, whose name is Yehovah.
How do we obey Yehovah?
Yehovah, the Father of Jesus, says in Exodus, we obey Him when we repent from lawlessness to law. When you obey Yehovahs laws, you obey Yehovah, and you will receive the Holy Spirit. What are Yehovah’s laws? The book of Exodus says Yehovahs laws are what we call the law of Moses. So according to Acts 5:32, if we want to receive the Holy Spirit, we need to obey the law of Moses.
How are we saved?
Most Christians would say by grace through faith in Jesus the Messiah. But what does it mean to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus? Does it mean you believe He existed, you believe He died for you? In James 2, the Bible says if you believe, your faith has to show itself in how you live your life. If your faith cannot be seen by the way you live, you are not saved, according to James 2. So what does saving faith look like? Or, more to the point, how will your life be if you have saving faith? The answer is easy, but first, you need to make sure you understand salvation:
Why did Jesus die on a cross? He died to atone for your sins. What is a sin according to the Bible? 1.John says sin is breaking the law of Yehovah. So Jesus died on a cross to atone for all the times you broke the law of Moses. In Romans, Paul says we can not continue in sin if we believe Jesus died for us; we have to repent and stop sinning. So it follows that if 1. John says sin is breaking the law of Yehovah, the law of Moses, and Paul says we have to stop breaking the law of Moses if we are saved, then we understand saving faith has to show itself in a life lived in obedience to the law of Moses.
If you are genuinely saved, your saving faith will show itself in a life lived in obedience to the law of Moses. And if you live in obedience to the law of Moses, Acts 5:32 says you will receive the Holy Spirit.
So the Bible agrees with us, we do receive the Holy Spirit in salvation, but it strongly disagrees with how we are saved and how we receive it. Most Christian denominations would argue Jesus came to do away with the law of Moses, but by doing so, they are rejecting the very key to salvation and Spirit-filled life.
The question then gives itself, if most Christian denominations who reject the law of Moses reject the key to salvation and Spirit-filled life, what spirit is then working in their congregations? What spirit is behind all the miracles and the preaching in congregations who rejects the law of Moses? According to the Bible, it is not the Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 7:21-23, and Deut 13, the Bible says Yehovah will permit and allow miracles, signs, and wonders to be done by people who openly reject the law of Moses. Some of them will claim they are doing these miracles “in the name of Jesus,” and some will claim the authority and the name of other gods. If the law of Moses is so important, why then would Yehovah allow this? The Bible says He will enable this to test us and see if we love Him. If we love Yehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Yakov (Jacob), we will not follow those who perform these miracles because they reject the law of Moses. We will not seek them out; we will not have them pray for us; we will not listen to their preaching. But as we read in Matthew 7:21-23, many Christians do not love Yehovah. They will follow these miracle preachers who reject the law of Moses, and because of it, they will one day hear “depart from Me for I never knew you, you who are workers of lawlessness!” (Matt 7:21-23)
The Bible even says that this is how we can identify the Antichrist. The Antichrist will be given authority to perform great and mighty miracles, but he will reject the law of Moses. Because Christians sometimes love miracles more than they love Yehovah, they will be deceived by the Antichrist and follow him.
Do not let this happen to you; obey the law of Moses and only the law of Moses. Reject those who do not follow it and do not listen to their preaching. Then Yehovah will see from heaven and reward you.
Is there such a thing as Biblical miracles today?
Yes, Yehovah still heals; He still performs miracles today. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are for believers today, including the gift of other tongues. But because Acts 5:32 says the Holy Spirit is only given to those who obey Yehovah, we know that the Holy Spirit will only give gifts to those who obey Yehovah. So you can know for sure that if you obey Yehovahs law, the law of Moses, the Holy Spirit is given to you, and He will equip you with the gifts you need for ministry. It will be the gift of healing for some of you, the gift of miracles for others some of the other gifts in 1.Chor. Whatever gift you are given, it will be suitable for you and your ministry here on earth.
Do you want to receive the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and salvation? Then you have no choice; you have to repent from lawlessness to law and start obeying the law of Moses.
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