So growing up I was familiar with people falling out and catching the “Holy Spirit “or what I thought it to be at that time in my life, this usually meant people kicking & screaming loudly and they'd end up on the floor with a blanket by the end of the service. Also they’d speak a language I wasn’t quite familiar with in a loud and obnoxious tone, It was such a cycle I could repeat It verbatim and cue it’s timing every Sunday ! Growing up Pentecostal this was the norm for most services, and I wasn’t looking forward to ever catching the spirit because it meant that I might be paraded and displayed as crazy, loud and obnoxious.
All of this changed when I was sixteen.
One day I was in service and I was just singing along to the worship song by Ernest Pugh “Rain on us”, no one had touched me, no one spoke to me,or even prayed for me , I just started to weep as I was singing the song and as I began to cry. I started to tremble and shake uncontrollably, this turned into a deep whaling from my soul. Which turned into murmering in a different language. I know this now was just me receiving the gift of speaking in tongues ,and the Holy Spirit coming upon me. Imagine an eight month year old baby trying to speak that’s how I would sound as I continued to yeild myself to the spirit. I was surprised and in shock when it happened and I knew I would never be the same after that experience. After service people would come to me and ask me if I was okay like something was wrong with me , or congratulate me like I myself had set up that appointment to “loose it“ in church in front of about sixty strangers I would only see on Sundays. Words couldn’t express what I had just experienced, I didn’t ask for this and I still didn’t uderstand it myself. I was surprised, embarrassed and still processing everything.
The Holy Spirit And His Gifts .......🎁
As I have grown in my faith and matured in my walk with Christ I am now much more knowledgeable in the things of the spirit. The Holy Spirit is our gift from God the father once we accept Christ in our heart. He is our guide and he gives us understanding on things of the spirit of God. We can only have understanding by his revaluation that he shares with us (read 1 Corthians 2:14).
Think of him sort of like a interpreter in this foriegn country called christianity and faith. When we partake in Christ and acceptance of him we accept the gift of the Holy Spirit who is responsible for baptizing the body of Christ and helps us to be lead and live our lives according to the will of God for our lives.
What most people don’t know is when the Holy Spirit comes he brings gifts with him. He can bring any gift he chooses.
If you read 1 Corinthians 12:4: You’ll see that there are many different types of gifts but they all are manifested by one spirit which is the Holy spirit. A lot of times people mistake the gifts of the spirit as evidence of dwelling of the Holy Spirit, when that doctrine is not all true. You can have a gift without having the Holy Spirit. For example say your Dad buys you a ps4 gaming system for your birthday one year and you accept it because it is a good gift. This gift is not evedience you have a close relationship with your dad and it doesn’t show evidence that your dad is in your life actively. It’s the same thing In the spiritual realm (read Matthew 7:21-23).
Another ideology that some Christians believe is having the gift of speaking in tongues is proof that you have the spirit, this also isn’t true. As I mentioned before the Holy Spirit chooses whatever gift he wants you to have. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11) There are many great ways the the spirit can manifest himself according to how he chooses to operate, tailored to your specific way to minister to yourself and others.
All gifts are important and if you are only looking for one gift as evidence that someone has the Holy Spirit you will be creating confusion and segregation in the kingdom of God. Looking past one who is filled because they don’t speak in tongues is foolish. All gifts are valuable and should be appreciated equally. One should not be deemed as “greater“ than the other. (1 Corinthians12:12) Gifts where made to cause edification of the church not bring caos and seperation (1Corinthians 12:27-31).
What proves I have the Holy Spirit in me?
Evidence that the Holy Spirit lives in you is not proven by gifts (read 1 Corinthians 13:1-10). If you have all of the gift’s of the spirit but do not have love than your gifts are just useless decoration. Evidence that the spirit lives in you is by the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy,peace,patience,kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol,(read Galatians 5). You know the Holy Spirit lives in by the way you live your life ! How you treat people, How you respond to negativity, How you speak to others, what you do when no one else is watching. The condition of your heart determines if the Holy Spirit has you or not. Do not be fooled by a persons gifts because it is God who examines the heart and if the Holy Spirit doesn’t live there it’s nothing but a good show.