Christians are disciples. A disciple is a learner. Learners learn. For disciples, learning is a way of life.
A disciple of Christ never stops developing as a Christ follower and becoming like Christ. Growing in Christ is not for the faint of heart or the passive follower.
Conforming into the image of Christ is a top priority. We have made Christianity about going to heaven and not going to hell. Those are benefits of being in Christ.
Heaven and hell are not the primary reason that Christ saved you.
Christians are disciples. A disciple is a learner. Learners learn. For disciples, learning is a way of life.
A disciple of Christ never stops developing as a Christ-follower and becoming like Christ. Growing in Christ is not for the faint of heart or the passive follower.
Conforming into the image of Christ is a top priority. We have made Christianity about going to heaven and not going to hell. Those are benefits of being in Christ.
Heaven and hell are not the primary reason that Christ saved you.
“Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1, NKJV).
“Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1–2, MEV).
Believers Are Imitators of God
As Christians, we imitate God from our hearts and spirit. The Christian does not mimic behavior but follows the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Genuine Christ-followers have a relationship with the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we experience daily changes as the Holy Spirit leads us.
The Spirit is our personal trainer and leads us to become more like Christ.
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26).
The born-again Christian has received the Spirit of Christ, who is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a teacher of the things of Christ and reminds us of the things that Christ said and taught.
Watchman Nee said: “We have the Holy Spirit within as life and without as power and gift. If we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit within, we have the riches of the life of the Lord. If we do not have the riches of the spiritual life, this proves that although we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are not filled with Him.”
“I indeed baptize you with water to repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matt.3:11).
We receive the Holy Spirit into our spirit when we get saved. However, the baptism of the Spirit is an infilling of the Spirit of God in and upon the believer.
The Holy Spirit covers us, empowers us and immerses us in the Spirit of Jesus.
Some have described the Holy Spirit’s presence on the believer as being “in,” “on” and “upon.”
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared to them tongues as of fire, being distributed and resting on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak: (Acts 2L104(,
The Promise of the Spirit
Jesus commanded the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit.
“When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'” (John 20:22).
This means they were saved. God does not give the Holy Spirit to those who are not born again.
“Being assembled with them, He commanded them, ‘Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, of which you have heard from Me. For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now'” (Acts 1:4–5).
The essence of being baptized with the Holy Spirit is when a person who is already a believer receives power to exalt Christ and to be a witness, just as the Scripture says.
And there’s more.
The Holy Spirit
Being assembled with them, He commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, of which you have heard from Me.[a] 5 For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or the dates, which the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Let’s notice the language “”you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be …” (v. 8). Look deeper. The Holy Spirit empowers us in new ways…to become witnesses.
We are in an age that resembles the early church. Have we forgotten the person of the Holy Spirit? Or maybe we have never learned about the Holy Spirit.
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples and said to them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?”
They said to him, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
He said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”
They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all (Acts 19:1-7).
Did you see it?
““Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?’ They said to him, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit'” (Acts 19:2).
Is this where we are as the church of Jesus Christ? Have we resisted the Holy Spirit or neglected the Holy Spirit?
Yes, we have.
We see this identical problem in the scripture.
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant”(I Cor. 12:1).
Notice the word “spiritual” in the verse above. It is the word pneuma in Greek. It means “spirit.” So, the verse can mean; Paul did not want us ignorant about the Spirit of God.
Are we there? For sure.
As a body of people, we need more training about the Holy Spirit. This does not mean we are dumb or ignorant.
It means we have ignored the teachings about the Holy Spirit. Jesus said:
“But now I am going to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ Rather, sorrow has filled your heart because I have told you these things. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:5-7).
If Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, we should receive Him. Right?
And Jesus has his back.
“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10).
Receiving the Holy Spirit is easy.
Just ask.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).
Ask now.
Thomas McDaniels is a pastor/writer and the guy behind thomasmcdaniels.com. He has written for ChurchLeaders.com and currently is a contributing writer for Fox News. He is also the founder of LifeBridge.tv and the Longview Dream Center in Longview, Texas. Thomas can be found on social media, on Instagram and on Twitter.
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