How to receive the Holy Ghost

[rockytopva]

As someone brought up Baptist and enjoying revivals of other denominations my recommendations on receiving the Holy Ghost are two.

1. Find a environment of good worship
2. Sit under the teachings of a good Senior Pastor

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. - Acts 2:46-47 (noting the word Daily)

If the environment is good you will feel the sensation of being filled with the Holy Ghost
If the environment is not good you will leave empty and in danger of returning to the ways of the flesh

 

[Ascetic X]

As someone brought up Baptist and enjoying revivals of other denominations my recommendations on receiving the Holy Ghost are two.

1. Find a environment of good worship
2. Sit under the teachings of a good Senior Pastor

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. - Acts 2:46-47 (noting the word Daily)

If the environment is good you will feel the sensation of being filled with the Holy Ghost
If the environment is not good you will leave empty and in danger of returning to the ways of the flesh

Filling with the Holy Spirit is not something you feel. It occurs upon the new birth and is not a fleshly experience.

Good worship and good pastors have nothing to do with it.

It is the Word that makes it happen. You can get it by reading the Bible all by yourself in your room.

 

[rockytopva]

Filling with the Holy Spirit is not something you feel. It occurs upon the new birth and is not a fleshly experience.

Good worship and good pastors have nothing to do with it.

It is the Word that makes it happen. You can get it by reading the Bible all by yourself in your room.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

Love is something to be felt
Joy is something to be felt
Peace is something to be felt
Patience is something to be felt
Gentleness is something to be felt
Goodness is something to be felt
Faith is something to be felt
Meekness is something to be felt

And being around spiritual people makes all of that rub off.

 

[rockytopva]

The presence of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are two different things. The presence of the Holy Spirit is always the same. The gifts of the Holy Spirit vary from believer to believer. If the Holy Spirit gifted all to be piano players it would not be an edifying place!

 

[rockytopva]

I work in a factory and pull a lot of hours. It feels good to dress up on Sundays and go to a into a clean sanctified environment. I catch the first service at a place called Northstar church. I had to dig to find they are Southern Baptist. If I attend I feel a clean, sanctified, sensation that isn't there if I miss.

Staff Leadership | Northstar Church

northstarfamily.org

 

[rockytopva]

If I have a fear of the Covid is that it got a whole lot of people out of church. I asked a friend about church and he said he was watching it online. The electronic media of the day is no replacement for quality church services.

 

[Mathetes66]

I agree with AsceticX. The only way to receive the Holy Spirit is to be born (again) of the Spirit and become spiritually alive.
John 3:3-8 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God UNLESS he is born of water and the Spirit. 6FLESH IS BORN OF FLESH BUT SPIRIT IS BORN OF SPIRIT. 7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Titus 3:4-8 But when the kindness of God our Savior & His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through THE WASHING OF NEW BIRTH & RENEWAL BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. 6This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8This saying is trustworthy.

I Cor 2:11-14 For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him & he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I Cor 12:3 Therefore I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

1 John 4:2-3 By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God & every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming & which is already in the world at this time.

Only when a person is spiritually born again of the Spirit, can they be filled with the Spirit.

Acts 9:17 So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 4:31 After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken & they were all filled with the Holy Spirit & spoke the word of God boldly.

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

 

[Armchair Apologist]

I remember years ago reading a booklet by Kenneth Hagin on "How to Receive the Holy Ghost."

One of the steps is that you are supposed to "empty out your mind and stop thinking." Scary stuff come to think about it, not at all godly or scriptural!

The only way to receive the Holy Ghost is through regeneration and this is something that God does, not us! It does not come with an "instruction manual!"

Being "filled with the Spirit" is another thing (Eph 5:18-20) but I am probably preaching to the choir here!

 

[Scarlett O.]

I remember years ago reading a booklet by Kenneth Hagin on "How to Receive the Holy Ghost."

One of the steps is that you are supposed to "empty out your mind and stop thinking." Scary stuff come to think about it, not at all godly or scriptural!

The only way to receive the Holy Ghost is through regeneration and this is something that God does, not us! It does not come with an "instruction manual!"

Being "filled with the Spirit" is another thing (Eph 5:18-20) but I am probably preaching to the choir here!

I've always taught to Sunday School classes if the topic of Biblical meditation comes up that "emptying out your mind" is a demonic thing. That's what some call transcendental meditation - as you say, VERY scary!

We should fill our minds with the things the Bible instructs us to do.

 

[John of Japan]

As someone brought up Baptist and enjoying revivals of other denominations my recommendations on receiving the Holy Ghost are two.

1. Find a environment of good worship
2. Sit under the teachings of a good Senior Pastor

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. - Acts 2:46-47 (noting the word Daily)

If the environment is good you will feel the sensation of being filled with the Holy Ghost
If the environment is not good you will leave empty and in danger of returning to the ways of the flesh

The problem with the Pentecostal/Charismatic view of "receiving the Holy Ghost" is that if one is a true believer in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit already resides within. You don't have to "receive" Him. Romans 8:9 says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

Being filled with the Spirit (a metaphor for giving Him control) is a different matter.

 

[Ascetic X]

As someone brought up Baptist and enjoying revivals of other denominations my recommendations on receiving the Holy Ghost are two.

1. Find a environment of good worship
2. Sit under the teachings of a good Senior Pastor

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. - Acts 2:46-47 (noting the word Daily)

If the environment is good you will feel the sensation of being filled with the Holy Ghost
If the environment is not good you will leave empty and in danger of returning to the ways of the flesh

I think it can be dangerous to evaluate a church service by the feelings you get from it.

There are methods for causing groups and individuals to experience ecstasy, excitement, and euphoria that have nothing to do with the Holy Spirit.

The flesh cannot discern the presence of the Holy Spirit.

John 3:6

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Judging a church by your feelings — such as feeling welcomed, comfortable, or emotionally moved—can be misleading, as these emotions do not always align with sound biblical teaching or true spiritual health. Cults are notorious for love bombing, for example, paying a lot of attention to visitors, being super friendly, giving compliments, even flirting. Music or enthusiastic preaching can produce a good feeling. Feelings are not a reliable measure of the value of a church.

I attended a church where I felt very peaceful. In the congregation, everyone seemed really happy, nice, and devout, only to discover they had lesbian deacons and the gospel was not being preached, it was replaced by the pastor giving lectures about diversity, tolerance, and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

 

[JesusFan]

I remember years ago reading a booklet by Kenneth Hagin on "How to Receive the Holy Ghost."

One of the steps is that you are supposed to "empty out your mind and stop thinking." Scary stuff come to think about it, not at all godly or scriptural!

The only way to receive the Holy Ghost is through regeneration and this is something that God does, not us! It does not come with an "instruction manual!"

Being "filled with the Spirit" is another thing (Eph 5:18-20) but I am probably preaching to the choir here!

very ironic, as Hagin did not even have the Holy Spirit himself

 

[JesusFan]

The problem with the Pentecostal/Charismatic view of "receiving the Holy Ghost" is that if one is a true believer in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit already resides within. You don't have to "receive" Him. Romans 8:9 says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

Being filled with the Spirit (a metaphor for giving Him control) is a different matter.

All comes back to their second act of grace doctrine, evidenced by speaking in other tongues, to them, no tongues, no Spirit infilling

 

[Armchair Apologist]

very ironic, as Hagin did not even have the Holy Spirit himself

I'm sure that such a judgment may draw some ire but I would have to agree

All comes back to their second act of grace doctrine, evidenced by speaking in other tongues, to them, no tongues, no Spirit infilling

This seems to be the position of the hard-line Pentecostals or at least the ones I have dealt with. It is definitely the position of the UPCI.