Bible Questions Answered:
“...did I get that right, when were Christians Spirit filled?”
Lewis/ Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Bible Answer:
Where There Spirit Filled Christians Before Pentecost? Yes!
Luke 10:19,20 KJV
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven.
John 15:1-3 KJV
I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman.
2 Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
John 17:9,14,16,26 KJV
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given Me; for they are thine.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
John 14:15-17 KJV
15 If ye love me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:16,17 NLT
15 “If you love Me, obey My commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all Truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.
John 20:20-22 KJV (After Calvary and yet ten days before Pentecost!)
20 And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
May a man be a Christian, and “not” have the Holy Spirit within? Answer No.
And it was no, as well in our Lord's day.
Romans 8:9 KJV
9 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.
Romans 8:16 NLT
For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
I Corinthians 3:16 KJV
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Disciples had the Holy Spirit dwelling within their lives after Calvary, and yet before Pentecost.
What then was Pentecost?
Luke 24:49,50 KJV
49 And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with Power from on high.
50 And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them.
Pentecost, was an enduement of power from the Holy Spirit, for evangelism, and doing the works of Christ.
John 14:12 KJV
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 16:7 KJV
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.
When did Christ "go away?"
He left His people at Calvary, yet was seen of many for forty days.
Acts 1:1-3 KJV
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen:
3 To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
There were only 120 believers in the upper room at Pentecost, when the Holy Endueing Fire of the Holy Spirit fell.
For those misguide few who believe that this was the imputation of the Spirit within the hearts of believers, one would only have to read the above verses once more.
To believe this would mean that believers of the known world, far flung from one another, would not be filled with the Spirit, for they were “not,” in Jerusalem at Pentecost.
What folly!
That it was the Enduement of power spoken of by Christ, meant that those who weren't in the upper room, would need the laying on of hands by those who were, to be so endued themselves, and that is exactly what we read in the New Testament!
Acts 19:1-7 KJV
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
Here is a question for you.
Can you see when the Spirit of God enters a man?
Answer: No, of course not!
Then would you please explain this story!
Acts 8:9-24 KJV
9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet He was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) (Christians-ed.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the Gift of God may be purchased with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
What was it that Simon SAW?
Answer: He saw the outward signs of the Pentecostal Enduement of Power, which all of Jerusalem had witnessed on the day of Pentecost!
Acts 2:2-4 KJV
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Something which both may be seen and heard.
Finis:
The infilling of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian, has occurred since Calvary.
An event, that cannot be seen!
John 3:8 KJV
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
The enduement of power from high, by God the Holy Spirit, is an absolutely different event!
An event, where one who sincerely seeks the Lord in worship, is endued with the power of the Holy Spirit, for Christian Service.
Much more could be said.
Selah
Salvation Prayer
