Bible Questions with Michael Pearl
Episode 040: When did Jesus give the disciples the Holy Spirit?

Episode Transcription:

Michael Pearl:  Alright. This is called the 'political machine' here. It is a manure spreader. I am fixing to put some manure on my garden here in the middle of April, so I can grow some good tomatoes. Jared is behind the camera, and we're going to be answering your Bible questions. So, Jared, what kind of questions do you got for us today?

Jared:  When did Jesus give the disciples the Holy Spirit, and what did He mean by giving them the ability to retain sins?

Michael:  OK. That's two separate questions completely. Now, keep in mind that Holy Spirit, the term 'Holy Spirit, ' is used in the Old Testament quite a bit. Solomon had the Holy Spirit. David prayed after he sinned, he said, "Take not the Holy Spirit from me." So, David had the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came on men for special occasions, special reasons, throughout the Old Testament. So, the apostles had the Holy Spirit in that sense throughout their ministry, whenever He sent them out and gave them power to cast out devils, to heal the sick, they had the Holy Spirit.

Now, later in His ministry, right before His crucifixion, the Bible says, He breathed on them and says, "Receive the Holy Ghost." So, then they received the Holy Spirit again.

Then on the day of Pentecost another event took place. He said to them, He said, "Tarry until you be endowed with power for on high." He said, "When the Holy Ghost comes upon you, you will receive power, and you will be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samara, and the uttermost parts of the earth."

So, there is a unique way in which the Holy Spirit inhabits the New Testament church. That event didn't take place until Pentecost, but then again we find in Acts chapter four, after the day of Pentecost and after the 3, 000 were saved, again they got together and they prayed.

They said, "Lord, grant that through the Holy Child Jesus that miracles will be done, signs and wonders, and so forth," and again it said the place was shaking and the Holy Spirit came on them, and they went out with power and witnessed again.

So, they had another anointing, another filling of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says there in the book Ephesians, "Be you filled with the Holy Spirit of God."

So, there is different ways in which the Holy Spirit fills, possesses, ministers through, inhabits and dwells. It says in I Corinthians 12:10 or 10:12, somewhere in there, it says, "From but one Spirit, we're all baptized into one body, whether it be Jew or Gentile, bound or free, we've all been made to drink into one Spirit."

So, to sum it up it's this way, even an unbeliever has the Holy Spirit ministering to him, wooing him, calling him. It tells us there in the book of John that He reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. So, the Holy Spirit is ministering all the time.

An Old Testament saint had the Holy Spirit coming and going, depending on the need for power or anointing. The priests were anointed. The apostles, right off in the beginning of their ministry had the Holy Spirit; otherwise they couldn't have performed the miracles that they did. It was the Holy Spirit performing the miracles.

Jesus breathed on them; they received the Holy Spirit in some unique way. They tarried. They waited.

They got another sense in which the Holy Spirit indwelt them, and I think that was probably the I Corinthians 12:10 experience, where they were baptized into the body of Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost, and also they received gifts of the Spirit, tongues and other things.

So, today, you and I as believers, the moment we believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit we are baptized into His body, made for takers, but on a daily basis we need to be filled moment by moment with the Holy Spirit in order to do the work of God, for God to love through us, God to minister through us.

So, there is never a point at which we don't need to be filled. There is never a point when we cease to need the coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives. In Romans 8:6‑9, somewhere in there, He says, "If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

So, a man who doesn't have the Holy Spirit in any sense, that is he is not indwelt, he is not baptized in the body, he is not led by, directed by, he doesn't have the Holy Spirit, that man doesn't know Christ. All believers have the Holy Spirit, in that God is living in us, and working though us, and ministering through us.

Just get your Bible and take a concordance, and lookup the word 'Spirit, ' and 'Holy Spirit, ' and then 'Holy Ghost.' Lookup every time it is used and think about it, analyze it.

Just be a detective, leads first be a clue, and develop like a scientist does a hypothesis, and a theory, and then take that theory and test it against all the scripture. If it doesn't pan out with all of the scripture, set it aside and come up with another hypothesis or theory that does follow all of the scripture.

Be willing to be versatile in your mind and see what God says, rather than trying to satisfy some preconceived notion. That way you'll be a Bible student, and you'll discover for yourself what the Bible teaches. That's all I do. I just read the Bible when I'm not spreading manure, or fishing, or doing something else. So, have a good day!

Announcer:  If you would like to ask a Bible question, email us at [email protected] or call at 931‑805‑4820.