The Same Spirit

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

"Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38,39

"Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God." Acts 3:6-8

Something that I keep hearing over and over, and seeing over and over is that The Holy Spirit doesn't change. Meaning, that the same Spirit that we read about in the Bible is the same Spirit that we have today. The same Spirit that we read about in prophets of the past, or men of God of the past, is the same Spirit today. I often wondered about that. When I would watch or listen to a speaker, they almost always would, at some point in their message, bring up some of the people in history who were known as men of God or prophets of their time. People like Smith Wigglesworth or William J. Seymour or William Branham. Those names always come up, and at first, I guess I was almost annoyed at that. You know, I'd think to myself, quit talking about the people who have gone before... let's talk about now, today, and move on. I think though, there is a reason for bringing up the past, and that is because these people are a great reminder. All these men were very active in working miracles and wonders through the Holy Spirit. Just as the disciples were 2000 years ago. And the one constant there is the Holy Spirit. The exact same Holy Spirit that worked through William Branham and the apostle Paul is the exact same Holy Spirit who dwells in me.

Just think about that for a minute. The Spirit dwells in me, and dwells in you, and He's just hanging out, waiting for the faith to do what other people have done before. Sometimes, there's maybe a little too much focus on the man of God who has found their faith...maybe it's time to focus on the same Spirit that dwelled in them and also dwells in us.

That's kind of scary to think about, to be honest. But at the same time, it's also awesome to think about. What is that Holy Spirit stirring up inside of me? Time will tell, and time with God will tell. I can be confident in knowing that God's not just going to leave this hanging out there, that what is going on will have a conclusion.

"that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6