The power of the Holy Spirit is the power of God. The Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, has appeared throughout Scripture as a Being through and by whom great works of power are made manifest. His power was first seen in the act of creation, for it was by His power the world came into being (Genesis 1:1–2; Job 26:13). The Holy Spirit also empowered men in the Old Testament to bring about God’s will: “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power” (1 Samuel 16:13; see also Exodus 31:2–5; Numbers 27:18). Although the Spirit did not permanently indwell God’s people in the Old Testament, He worked through them and gave them power to achieve things they would not have been able to accomplish on their own. All of Samson’s feats of strength are directly attributed to the Spirit coming upon him (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14).
Jesus promised the Spirit as a permanent guide, teacher, seal of salvation, and comforter for believers (John 14:16-18). He also promised that the Holy Spirit’s power would help His followers to spread the message of the gospel around the world: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The salvation of souls is a supernatural work only made possible by the Holy Spirit’s power at work in the world.
When the Holy Spirit descended upon believers at Pentecost, it was not a quiet event, but a powerful one. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1–4). Immediately afterward, the disciples spoke to the crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. These people hailed from a variety of nations and therefore spoke many different languages. Imagine their surprise and wonder when the disciples spoke to them in their own tongues (verses 5–12)! Clearly, this was not something the disciples could have accomplished on their own without many months—or even years—of study. The Holy Spirit’s power was made manifest to a great number of people that day, resulting in the conversion of about 3,000 (verse 41).
During His earthly ministry, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1), led by the Spirit (Luke 4:14), and empowered by the Spirit to perform miracles (Matthew 12:28). After Jesus had ascended to heaven, the Spirit equipped the apostles to perform miracles, too (2 Corinthians 2:12; Acts 2:43; 3:1–7; 9:39–41). The power of the Holy Spirit was manifest among all the believers of the early church through the dispensation of spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophesying, teaching, wisdom, and more.
All those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). And, although some of the spiritual gifts have ceased (e.g., speaking in tongues and prophecy), the Holy Spirit still works in and through believers to accomplish His will. His power leads us, convicts us, teaches us, and equips us to do His work and spread the gospel. The Holy Spirit’s powerful indwelling is an amazing gift we should never take lightly.
"All those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). And, although some of the spiritual gifts have ceased (e.g., speaking in tongues and prophecy), the Holy Spirit still works in and through believers to accomplish His will. His power leads us, convicts us, teaches us, and equips us to do His work and spread the gospel. The Holy Spirit’s powerful indwelling is an amazing gift we should never take lightly."
(end quote)
I agree that we should never take the Holy Spirit lightly but didn't you just do that by saying that the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy is gone? Who says that people aren't prophesying right now somewhere in the world? And who says people aren't using the gift of speaking in (new) tongues? And if they are gone, most likely it is because people are quenching the Holy Spirit what we should NEVER do:
- Quench not the Spirit.
- Despise not prophesyings.
- Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
- Abstain from all appearance of evil.
(1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)
When / How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
Simple, by being baptised in the name of Jesus the Messias (or in the hebrew name Yahshua Ha'Mashiach) and by proclaiming Him Adonai (master) over your life and follow Him. That is the point you receive the Holy Spirit, and by feeding yourself with the Word, your faith and power will grow.
Kindvan asks: “Who says that people aren't prophesying right now somewhere in the world? And who says people aren't using the gift of speaking in (new) tongues? And if they are gone, most likely it is because people are quenching the Holy Spirit what we should NEVER do...”
I would like to point out at least 2-3 or more obvious reasoning errors from the above clip.
1.) The word “prophecy” has more than just a narrow range of meaning. Therefore, to avoid the fallacy of equivocal usage, one must clearly state how the term is being applied in a specific contest.
2.) The phrase, “...somewhere in the world...” is used in the above without a specific reference and is therefore a fallacious argument from silence.
3.) Here, the author, fails to specifically identify the place, the people involved or the time of occurrence a possible “new tongue” manifestation may or may not have taken place. Once again, another faulty argument from silence.
4.) And lastly, the good old “quenching of the Holy Spirit” as a fallacy when presented without a context and worse yet, supported merely by some out of context pretexts. This is the same kind of nonsense often applied by those ensnared by certain charismania false doctrines.
