The Holy Spirit Field

[Important Questions Answered]

1. Is the holy spirit available to every believer today?

Yes, indeed. Is the gift of salvation available today? This is not a foolish question. If the gift from Holy Spirit which is pneuma hagion, holy spirit, the power from on high, is not available, then neither is the gift of salvation. When God gives a gift which is a part of this administration, it is here to stay until the Church Age is finished. His gifts are available to and for all believers who desire to receive and know how to receive.

2. Do I have to tarry in prayer before I can receive the holy spirit?

Definitely not. All of God's gifts - and the holy spirit is a gift - are immediately available by believers to all who will to receive. The Bible does not instruct people to tarry for the holy spirit with the one exception of Jesus' instructing the twelve disciples in Acts.

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. -- Acts 1: 4

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost [pneuma hagion] not many days hence. -- Acts 1: 5

Jesus was instructing the apostles to “wait for the promise” to be fulfilled before the holy spirit had been given. The scripture does not say this would happen when the apostles were ready. It says it would be “not many days hence” which, according to Acts 2: 1, was “when the day of Pentecost was fully come.” Since the outpouring on Pentecost, there is a no teaching in the Scripture that says to wait or to tarry. Some erroneous Christians teach that if you go apart alone and pray for ten days, God will give you the holy spirit. God does not wait a certain number of days to give the holy spirit to anyone. He gave the holy spirit once and for all time “when the day of Pentecost was fully come”. That power from on high is immediately available now to anyone who wills to receive and knows how to receive and that is by believing.

3. In order to receive the holy spirit, shouldn't all believers be “with one accord'' as the apostles were?

No. You can receive the holy spirit in private. It is not necessary for any one person to be present for you to receive. “They were all with one accord in one place” on the day of Pentecost, but this was a unique happening. Jesus had instructed the apostles to go to a specific place and to tarry there until they were “baptized with the Holy Ghost.” In obedience to his command, they were gathered together in unity of purpose to wait for the promise to be fulfilled. The instruction was to this particular group at a particular time. Since Pentecost, the common factor in every case for receiving the gift from the Holy Spirit is believing.

4. Do I have to be good before I can receive the holy spirit?

No. The holy spirit is never received according to the state of holiness or goodness of Christian character. The holy spirit is a gift, and every gift of God is of grace and is received by believing, not by works. You will have more strength to be good after you have received the gift.

5. Is the holy spirit for particular or special denominations?

No. The holy spirit is never for denominations as such. The holy spirit is for believers. They may come from any or all denominations. People from countless different denominations have received the pneuma hagion. Not one has received because of his denominational affiliation. They all received because they believed.

6. Is it possible for one to receive [lambano] the gift from the Holy Spirit into manifestation without speaking in a tongue?

No, it is not. The key words are “into manifestation” and the word ‘receive’ in Greek is lambano. My previous teaching was on “Understanding the Word Receive”. Possibly, you should review that teaching. The mighty movement from the Spirit will be expressed in all nine manifestations from time to time and speaking in tongues is one of these manifestations. Anyone who knows the wonderful Word of God would not want the gift without speaking in a tongue, for the blessings are innumerable, and it behooves us to follow the commandments of God’s Word in all things. I have also done a teaching for you on “How To Speak In Tongues”. The believer who has never spoken in a tongue has failed to do his part in manifesting the gift which has already been given. By the operation of believing, he receives through this manifestation the benefit of his own personal spiritual edification. If you are born again, you can speak in tongues.

Since Pentecost, there is not another record of God giving the holy spirit because He gave it once and for all. However, men by an act of believing have received into manifestation the spirit which God made available at Pentecost. There necessarily is an act to receiving on the part of every believer, and the outward manifestation of having received the gift is the act of speaking with another tongue.

7. Can a person who has received the holy spirit speak in tongues at will?

Yes. The act of speaking in tongues is an act of the will on the part of the believer. He has the gift, which is the spiritual ability. Therefore, if he knows what the Word of God teaches, he can start to speak and he can stop speaking at any time he so chooses.

8. Is it possible for a Christian to receive false tongues or a false spirit when believing for the holy spirit?

The answer is a loud and clear no. As a matter of fact, speaking in tongues is the only manifestation which basically Satan cannot counterfeit. If I am asked that question, I know that person has come into contact with those who can be called “faith blasters,” who go about making statements which have no foundation in Scripture. When someone suggests to earnest Christians that they are in danger of receiving something false when believing to manifest the fullness of God according to God's Word, he sinfully dishonors God. Where is there a chapter or verse in the Bible indicating that a Christian may get false tongues? It is an unreasonable idea, for our loving Father cares for His children and stands ready with His might to protect them from the power of the enemy. With Scripture as our rule of believing and practice, the Word contradicts the wicked thought of false tongues coming from the Holy Spirit. Luke points out most emphatically that God will not give His children a worthless or harmful substitute for the pneuma hagion.

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? -- Luke 11: 11

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? -- Luke 11: 12

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit [pneuma hagion] to them that ask Him? -- Luke 11: 13

The very essence of God is love. Can any sane person conceive of a loving Father, who is all-wise and all-powerful, giving His hungering, believing child a false and harmful substitute? There are hundreds of scriptures which point out that God seeks only the welfare and blessing of His children.

Cast away forever the repulsive idea that God would allow His child to receive anything false. Pay no attention to anyone who suggests scriptural doubts or fears.

9. Why should one speak in tongues when he cannot understand what he is saying?

Paul exhorted all believers to speak in tongues for their edification, and to acknowledge that the things he wrote in his epistles were the commandments of the Lord.

He that speaketh in an unknown [scratch unknown - it is in italics and ‘an’ becomes ‘a’.] tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth himself. -- I Corinthians 14: 4

I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. -- I Corinthians 14: 5

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. -- I Corinthians 14: 37

10. May there ever be any speaking ln tongues in public worship?

Yes, but it must always be interpreted. The order and details for speaking in tongues in public worship are clearly given in I Corinthians 14: 27 and 28.

If any man speak in an unknown [scratch unknown - it is in italics and ‘an’ becomes ‘a’.] tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three and that by course; and let one [heis - that same one] interpret. -- I Corinthians 14: 27

11. Can one person speak in tongues and another give the interpretation?

No. We are specifically told in I Corinthians 14: 27 and 28 that the person speaking must give the interpretation or else remain silent. Where the practice of one person speaking and another interpreting has been carried on, there is no interpretation of that which is spoken in tongues, but there is prophecy on the part of the so-called “interpreter.”

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Remember, the only stupid question you may have is the one that you are afraid to ask! I am here to serve you. I will not respond to ridiculous questions. Try to keep it on the Holy Spirit field - the nine manifestations. RC@AbsoluteBibleStudy.com.

The adversary is having his 15 minutes of fame right now. With our positive believing, prayer and mighty power, we can shut him down.

And the God of peace shall bruise [CRUSH] Satan under your feet shortly [QUICKLY]. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. -- Romans 16: 20

If we act on our believing of God’s Word, this will absolutely take place.

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