"But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8
Acts 22:2-4
2 Suddenly there came a sound from Heaven like the roar of a mighty rushing, violent wind, and He filled the whole house where the Apostles were sitting. 3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of Fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. 4 The were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak.
2 Suddenly there came a sound from Heaven like the roar of a mighty rushing, violent wind, and He filled the whole house where the Apostles were sitting. 3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of Fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. 4 The were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak.
Take note of the words in verse 3, each referring again to the fact that being born again (salvation) is a personal one-on-one relationship with Almighty Jehovah God through believing in His Son, Yeshua.
The first representation we see of the Holy Spirit is a mighty rushing, violent Wind. The wind speaks of the immeasurable depth of the mighty regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
4 Nakdimon said to him, "How can a grown man be `born'? Can he go back into his mother's womb and be born a second time?" 5 Yeshua answered, "Yes, indeed, I tell you that unless a person is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6 What is born from the flesh is flesh, and what is born from the Spirit is spirit. 7 Stop being amazed at my telling you that you must be born again from above!
8 The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it's going. That's how it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit."
Book of Acts
The second representation of the Holy Spirit is Tongues of Fire. The spiritual meaning speaks of the Holy Spirit as the consuming and purifying power in the life of the believer.
16 so Yochanan answered them all, "I am immersing you in water, but He who is coming is more powerful than I – I am not worthy to untie His sandals! He will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh and in fire. (Luke 3)
One of this writer's most loved passages from the Word is found in Yesha ‘Yahu (Isaiah) 6:1-8. Most Holy God, may we see your holiness and our condition and bow before You in deepest repentance and humility.
1 In the year of King 'Uziyahu's death I saw Adonai sitting on a high, lofty throne! The hem of His robe filled the temple. 2 S'rafim stood over Him, each with six wings - two for covering His face, two for covering his feet and two for flying. 3 They were crying out to each other, "More holy than the holiest holiness is ADONAI-Tzva'ot! The whole earth is filled with His glory!" 4 The doorposts shook at the sound of their shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, "Woe to me! I [too] am doomed! Because I, a man with unclean lips, living among a people with unclean lips, have seen with my own eyes the King, ADONAI-Tzva'ot!" 6 One of the s'rafim flew to me with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, "Here! This has touched your lips. Your iniquity is gone, your sin is atoned for." 8 Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying, "Whom should I send? Who will go for us?" I answered, "I'm here, send me!" (Isaiah 6:1-8)
5 Now there were staying in Yerushalayim, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered; they were confused, because each one heard the believers speaking in his own language. 7 Totally amazed, they asked, "How is this possible? Aren't all these people who are speaking from the Galil? 8 How is it that we hear them speaking in our native languages?
In verse 17, ADONAI refers to the Last Days. When does this time period take place? In Hebrews 1:1-4 we read:
1 In days gone by, God spoke in many and varied ways to our forefathers through the prophets. 2 But now, in the acharit-hayamim, Last Days, He has spoken to us through his Son, to whom He has given ownership of everything and through whom He created the universe. 3 This Son is the radiance of the Sh'khinah, the very expression of God's essence, upholding all that exists by His powerful Word; and after Yeshua had, through Himself, made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of HaG'dulah BaM'romim. 4 So He has become much better than angels, and the name God has given Him is superior to theirs.
44 Yeshua said to them, "This is what I meant when I was still with you and told you that everything written about me in the Torah of Moshe, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds, so that they could understand the Tanakh, 46 telling them, "Here is what it says: the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day; 47 and in His name repentance leading to forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to people from all nations, starting with Yerushalayim. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 Now I am sending forth upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been equipped with power from above." (Luke 24: 44-49)
33 "Moreover, Yeshua has been exalted to the right hand of God; has received from the Father what He promised, namely, the Ruach HaKodesh; and has poured out this gift, which you are both seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven. But he says, 35 'ADONAI said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' 36 Therefore, let the whole house of Isra'el know beyond doubt that God has made Yeshua both Lord and Messiah - this Yeshua, whom you executed on a stake!" 37 On hearing this, they were pierced to the heart; and they said to Kefa and the other emissaries, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Kefa answered them, "Turn from sin and turn to God, and each of you be immersed on the authority of Yeshua the Messiah into forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh! 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for those far away - as many as ADONAI our God may call!" 40 He pressed his case with many other arguments and kept pleading with them, "Save yourselves from this perverse generation!" 41 So those who accepted what he said were immersed, and there were added to the group that day about three thousand people. (Acts 2)
Could it be? Could it be that this is the same Kefa that denied Yeshua three times the night of His trial before He was crucified? Yes, one and the same. But oh, what a difference the power of the Holy Spirit makes! Kefa now has the awesome power of God’s Holy Spirit to speak through him as teacher, counselor and comforter in any and all things. The result of God’s Holy Spirit speaking through Kefa resulted in three thousand people added to the Kingdom of God! The miraculous power of the Holy Spirit revealed both their sinful condition and their need of salvation.
This is the gospel message:
1. The Holy Spirit draws and convicts one of sin and separation from God. It is described as “piercing the heart.”
2. One realizes they are lost, without direction, no hope and in need of The Savior, Yeshua.
3. The next step, “Brothers, what shall I (we) do? Willing to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit.
4. (38) Kefa answered them, "Turn from sin, turn to God, and each of you be immersed on the authority of Yeshua the Messiah into forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh! (Acts 2)
5. Praise God for salvation through His Son Yeshua. For the Holy Spirit now takes residency within my heart and soul 24/7 to be my resident teacher, guide and comforter – my all in all! Born again and bound for the Kingdom of Heaven!
11 For who knows the inner workings of a person except the person's own spirit inside him? So, too, no one knows the inner workings of God except God's Holy Spirit. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Holy Spirit of God, so that we might understand the things God has so freely given us. 13 These are the things we are talking about when we avoid the manner of speaking that human wisdom would dictate and instead use a manner of speaking taught by the Holy Spirit, by which we explain things of the Spirit to people who have the Spirit. 14 Now the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God - to him they are nonsense! Moreover, he is unable to grasp them, because they are evaluated through the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2)
The third representation we see of the Holy Spirit is Water.
2 The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water. (Genesis 1)
This scripture shows that the Holy Spirit was with Jehovah God in the beginning of the creation of earth. All Powerful!
37 Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! 38 Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!" 39 (Now He said this about the Holy Spirit, whom those who trusted in Him were to receive later – the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet been glorified.) (John 7)
Here is an awesome example of the cleansing power of the spiritual water of God’s Holy Spirit.
24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you from all the countries, and return you to your own soil. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by My laws, respect My rulings and obey them. 28 You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors. You will be My people, and I will be your
God. (Ezekiel 36)
The spiritual water speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit to fill the believer to overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, self-control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things. (Galatians 5)
God is love. The Holy Spirit is love. With the Holy Spirit living within the believer, this inward love is expressed outwardly by joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control: Joy is love’s strength, Peace is love’s security, Patience is love’s endurance, Kindness is love’s conduct, Goodness is love’s character, Faithfulness is love’s confidence, Humility is love’s gentleness, and Self-control is love’s victory! God’s amazing love!!
“Against such things there is no law.” Nothing in the Torah stands against such things. When the believer is obedient to the will of the Holy Spirit, one needs no law to live a righteous life.
1 I exhort you, therefore, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and set apart for God. This will please Him for it is your spiritual "Temple worship." 2 In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the 'olam hazeh (pattern of this world). Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; then you will be able to know and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. If these are present in your life, you know the power of a yielded life that lifts you above circumstances. If one is weak in this area, yield to God’s Holy Spirit and allow Him to live His life through you by faith.
The fourth representation is the Dove as recorded in Matthew at the baptism of Yeshua by John. The pure-white dove, with its gentle and peaceful nature, is often used as a peace emblem.
16 As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, He came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, He saw the Spirit of God coming down upon Him like a dove, 17 and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love;
I am well pleased with him." (Matthew 3) This shows the Trinity in one verse: God, Son and Holy Spirit.
The fifth representation of the Holy Spirit is Oil.
Oil was used in biblical times for the anointing of Kings and officials for service. Oil speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit to anoint for service. Psalm 23, as written by King David, is such a psalm and in it he gives all praise and glory to the Lord.
1 A psalm of David: ADONAI is my shepherd; I lack nothing. 2 He has me lie down in grassy pastures, he leads me by quiet water, 3 he restores my inner person. He guides me in right paths for the sake of his own name. 4 Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me. 5 You prepare a table for me, even as my enemies watch; you anoint my head with oil from an overflowing cup. 6 Goodness and grace will pursue me every day of my life; and I will live in the house of ADONAI for years and years to come. (Psalm 23)
The perfect example of the anointing of oil is found in Hebrews: 1:8-9, when God, the One Jehovah Father God, calls His Son, God:
8 But about His Son, Yeshua, God says, "Your throne, O God,(Yeshua, now reigns as the King of kings) will last forever and ever; You rule Your Kingdom with a scepter of equity; 9 You, Yeshua My Son, have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore, O God, Your Father God has anointed You, Yeshua with the oil of joy in preference to Your companions." The Trinity shown once again!
The sixth representation is the Seal, which speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit, showing the security of the believer as a finished eternal transaction. Destination: The Kingdom of Heaven!
In summary, the six representations; the all powerful wind, the all purifying fire, the all cleansing and filling pure water, the true perfect peace, the all anointing oil for service, and the eternal security of being sealed, symbolize the spiritual power of the Holy Spirit.
The presence of the Holy Spirit is found throughout the entire Word of God, the Book, the Bible, the Holy Bible, which is complete Truth and authored by God’s Holy Spirit, the same resident teacher that is within the heart of the believer!
The following passage explains:
13 However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative but will say only what He hears. He will also announce to you the events of the future. 14 He will glorify me (Yeshua), because He will receive from what is mine and announce it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine; this is why I said that he receives from what is mine and will announce it to you. (John 16) {The Trinity}
21 For never has a prophecy come as a result of human will - on the contrary, people moved by the Ruach HaKodesh spoke the message from God. (2 Peter 1)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living; 17 thus anyone who belongs to God may be fully equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3)
To the one who does not know Yeshua Messiah, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth that they must be born again, through exposure of hearing, reading or seeing the witness of believers through their attitudes and actions. The Holy Spirit convicts and draws one to the truth of the gospel message. At this point they know they are lost without hope and are separated from God because of their sin.
To those who have become believers, each has received God’s gift of the Holy Spirit! He is all power, all knowledge and is eternal, without boundaries. He is the Spirit of Truth, Teacher and Translator of God’s Word to the believers’ heart. He is Comforter and can carry any size load given to the believer! His power is given to the believer for witnessing and testimony of Yeshua Messiah as Savior and Lord. God’s Holy Spirit conceived the virgin by an overshadowing of His power and the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God. The Holy Spirit was also there in Yeshua’s resurrection.
To those who have become believers, each has received God’s gift of the Holy Spirit! He is all power, all knowledge and is eternal, without boundaries. He is the Spirit of Truth, Teacher and Translator of God’s Word to the believers’ heart. He is Comforter and can carry any size load given to the believer! His power is given to the believer for witnessing and testimony of Yeshua Messiah as Savior and Lord. God’s Holy Spirit conceived the virgin by an overshadowing of His power and the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God. The Holy Spirit was also there in Yeshua’s resurrection.
11 And if the Spirit of the One who raised Yeshua from the dead is living in you, then the One who raised the Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit living in you. (Romans 8)
The Holy Spirit convicts the believer of unforgiven sin in their life which breaks the fellowship with Father God, but never the relationship. (1 John 1:9) 9 ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and He will forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.’
The power of God’s Holy Spirit is the only means by which a believer can mature into the likeness of Yeshua the Christ. This is an ongoing process called sanctification.
How great is our God! What love the creator God has for each of us to send His Son, Yeshua to provide any who choose to follow Him, the free gift of eternal life. Then He sends His Holy Spirit as a gift to live within the heart and soul of each believer to become more like Yeshua Messiah the Christ. God’s Holy Spirit gives me the power to say no to sin. The choices I make - make me.
"Holy Spirit Rain Down"
performed by Hillsong
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