INSIGHT Publications

Christ Within You!  The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit,
Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1
Introduction:
Meet the Holy Spirit

On the Day of Pentecost, God inaugurated the Church Age by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit "upon all flesh." This Baptism in the Holy Spirit was not an end in itself, it was only the beginning:  the beginning of the Church, in which "this gospel shall be preached" (Matthew 24:14, 26:13; Mark 14:9) and against which the gates of hell shall not stand (Matthew 16:18).

But Pentecost was also the beginning of the believer's spirit life in Christ, a life which is to be lived "in the Spirit." God never meant for believers to live without the power of the Holy Spirit working in them and outworking through them in gifts and fruit from the Spirit. Yet the majority of those who name the name of Christ today either (1) are ignorant about the working of the Holy Spirit, (2) do not care, or (3) neglect this vital resource provided by Jesus Christ for his Church. Even among Pentecostals, who ascribe to belief in the Spirit's power, there is a great gulf of ignorance, apathy, and neglect.

In an extensive survey of Assemblies of God believers, it was reported that only 67 percent claimed to have spoken in tongues at any time, while just 40 percent claimed to speak in tongues regularly.¹ Further, an official report reveals that, in the period 1982-92, almost 4 out of 5 new converts have not reported receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.²

Of course, surveys cannot account for the genuineness of individual claims to being filled with the Spirit. Then there is the question whether all those who have once experienced the power and person of God's Holy Spirit have gone on to cultivate or maintain the closeness of that relationship. As John A. Wilson remarks, "In response to, `Are you filled with the Spirit?' some people will answer yes because they spoke in tongues at church camp or during a close encounter with the Lord. But does that mean they are filled with the Spirit today? Not necessarily."³

Bill Perkins, writer for Today in the Word (Moody Bible Institute) used the Texas oil rush which began at Spindletop in 1901 as a good illustration of those people who neglect to make use of God's provision:

"Given this incredible resource, how silly it would have been for the oil field workers simply to cap off Spindletop and then move on, looking for another and better source of oil to meet their expectations! But that's what many people do in the spiritual realm. They look at Christ, the ever-flowing supply for their spiritual needs, but turn away and seek fulfillment elsewhere."⁴

This book is not meant to teach people the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, since the Baptism cannot be taught, only received. It is also not intended to teach speaking in tongues, since true tongues come from God, not the human mind, and thus cannot be taught. But it is definitely intended to teach about the Baptism, and to emphasize the importance, the benefits, and the absolute necessity of receiving the Holy Spirit in his power and making him the driving force in one's life.

I think of this booklet as a "workbook." I encourage the reader not just to become aware of its contents by a superficial reading, but to work with it. Write notes in it. Mark it up. Place question marks beside things you don't understand. Work out your beliefs as informed by the Bible, God's revealed Word, and let the Holy Spirit work by his "still small voice" upon you. And hopefully, after this open-hearted reading, the Spirit-filled believer will know "the way of God more perfectly" (Acts 18:26), and anyone who is not spirit-filled will be encouraged to both seek and to receive God's precious gift, the Comforter.

The remainder of this article is now included in:

Christ in Us:  The Exalted Christ and the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit How does the Holy Spirit indwell the believer, and why should one seek that experience?  In this collection of articles based on over twenty years' personal experience as well as academic study, the author relates Spirit Baptism and spiritual gifts to their source, the exalted Jesus Christ.  He describes this Exaltation of Christ and constructs a theory of how the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, drawing from psychology and medical science as well as Scripture.  Finally, he proposes a new Theology of Exaltation that sees the whole sweep of church history as the ongoing glorification of Christ and Redemption of the world. ISBN 978-0-6151-3840-4 paperback, 192 pp., 6 x 9 in., with index and appendices.

God's Trombone Books by Paul Hughes

Outline of Chapters 1 and 2

1. Introduction:  Meet the Holy Spirit

2. Who Is the Holy Spirit?

3. A Person of the Trinity

4. Subject to the Father and the Son

5. The "Hands" of God

6. The Sanctifier (Who Makes Us Holy)

7. Greater Than the Angels

Sources

1. Margaret M. Poloma, The Assemblies of God at the Crossroads:  Charisma and Institutional Dilemmas (Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1989)
2. Report of the Spiritual Life Committee to the 45th General Council of the Assemblies of God, published as "Are We On Course?" The Pentecostal Evangel (October 17, 1993)
3. John A. Wilson, "Are You Filled with the Holy Spirit?" The Pentecostal Evangel (November 5, 1989)
4. Bill Perkins, devotion for August 16 (Colossians 2:6-10), Today in the Word (August 1993)

Scripture References

Seated on the Right Hand of God: