Power of the Holy Spirit
What surprised me the most about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Hey guys, guess who's a student again? I can’t wait to dive into this new adventure of spiritual transformation. This week, I was buried in a book titled "Why I'm Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit." In this book, Jack Deere unpacks significant Biblical spiritual truths, including his journey from being a Cessationist believing that “spiritual gifts" were temporarily granted to the apostles to authenticate the origin and truth of the scriptures and that at the close of the Apostolic Age, these gifts had served their purpose and ceased to fully embrace the doctrine of continuation believing the Holy Spirit's miraculous gifts, such as prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues continue to be present today.
The part of the book that surprised me the most was that the first time the Holy Spirit was manifested in the New Testament was in the Book of Luke. The first person to be filled with the Holy Spirit was John the Baptist in Elizabeth's womb (Luke 1:15). Then it was Elizabeth, followed by Zachariah on the 8th day after John the Baptist’s birth. The angel Gabriel rendered him mute due to his unbelief.
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:39-45
I was truly taken aback. Until I reached Chapter 18, titled 'Filled with the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of Luke,' I was convinced that the first manifestation of the Holy Spirit was in the book of Acts. This new understanding has opened my eyes to a different perspective on the Holy Spirit's manifestations.
Did you happen to know this? Or are you just finding out as well? I look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences on this. I can’t wait for you to read more next week; God bless you.
