The Sunday of Pentecost is almost here. It is the day we celebrate the memory of the first time the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus Christ as a Church. The corporate endowment of the Holy Spirit seals together the various tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations into one Body of Christ, the Church. The coming of the Holy Spirit changed the way we live for the better; after all, the Holy Spirit remains the agent of positive change. Recall that before creation, the book of Genesis records that the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the environment (Gen 1:2), preparing the atmosphere for creation, and then God began to create through His spoken Word.
Powerful Question
The nineteenth chapter of the Book of Acts, where the first reading of today was taken, narrates how Paul met some disciples of Jesus and asked them a unique, strange, and powerful question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed”(Acts 19:2)? I say the question raised by Paul is unique because it is not the type of question people asked at that time and even in the present time. In this present time, especially in some circles, someone may ask whether you are born again or whether you have received Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.
To ask whether you received the Holy Spirit when you believed seems like a question that expects tangible, verifiable evidence. Why would he expect tangibility from an intangible being? The question is also unusual in that it puts the disciples in a difficult spot. They must have an answer. Paul was not afraid to put them on the spot. And it was not to make a jest of them or to show them how superior he is; instead, he was genuinely happy to help those disciples take a further step in their spiritual growth. Paul’s question is also powerful and compelling because it reveals several realities:
Several Realities
First, Jesus’ mission culminates in the sending of the Holy Spirit. Knowing Jesus leads to believing in Him and believing in Him leads to knowing the Holy Spirit. Of course, this is different from knowing about Christ. When a soul comes to know the Lord, the soul yields completely to His Lordship and reign because the soul realizes that it cannot be quite fruitful without the leading, guiding, and Lordship of Christ and His Spirit.
Second, there is verifiable evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18ff). One of them is a supernatural aura that accompanies anyone who the Holy Spirit is leading. The reason such divine power accompanies believers is that the person has willingly (with the help of the Holy Spirit) put to death human and earthly frivolities: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). When worldliness matters very little to someone, as a result of “death-to-self” for the sake of living the gospel, while putting required hard work in fulfilling their purpose in life, the Holy Spirit begins to manifest His purpose because the believer’s purposes have given way to the Lord’s.
Finally, although God works in different ways in our lives, He does want us to be aware of His presence with and in us. Awareness of the One, “by whose power is at work in us” (Ephesians 3:20), gives a better sense of direction in our lives. So, what if someone were to ask you the same question today: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed in Christ and having been a believer for however long, do you have the Holy Spirit”?
