InstaStudy

Praying for the Gift of the Holy Ghost in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth: A Biblical Guide to Seeking, Receiving, and Yielding to the Divine Empowerment of the Holy Spirit Through Faith and Prayer.

This study explores the biblical understanding of the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of God, emphasizing its essential role in the life of a believer. We will delve into the promise of this divine empowerment, the scriptural pathway to receiving it through faith and prayer in the name of Jesus, and how to live a life continually guided and strengthened by the Spirit.

1. Understanding the Holy Ghost: The Spirit of God Manifested

1.1 The Holy Ghost as the Spirit of Jesus

Verses: John 14:16-18; Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 3:17
  • The Comforter, the Spirit of truth, is Jesus returning to dwell within believers.
  • If the Spirit of Christ is in you, you are His; the Spirit of God dwells in you.
  • The Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

1.2 The Holy Ghost as the Power of God

Verses: Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49; Micah 3:8
  • Receiving power when the Holy Ghost comes upon you to be witnesses.
  • Endued with power from on high after receiving the promise of the Father.
  • Filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord to declare judgment and strength.

1.3 The Holy Ghost as the Indwelling Presence

Verses: 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:22; John 14:23
  • Our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost, which we have of God.
  • Built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.
  • If a man loves Jesus, He and the Father will come and make their abode with him.

2. The Essential Experience: Receiving the Holy Ghost

2.1 The New Birth and the Spirit

Verses: John 3:5; Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5
  • One must be born of water and of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God.
  • Repentance, baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost are interconnected.
  • Saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

2.2 The Promise for All Believers

Verses: Acts 2:39; Joel 2:28-29; Luke 11:13
  • The promise of the Holy Ghost is for all who are called by the Lord.
  • God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, including sons, daughters, servants, and handmaidens.
  • God is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him than earthly parents are to give good gifts.

2.3 The Initial Evidence of Speaking in Tongues

Verses: Acts 2:4; Acts 10:45-46; Acts 19:6
  • All were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance.
  • Gentiles received the Holy Ghost, evidenced by hearing them speak with tongues and magnify God.
  • Disciples spoke with tongues and prophesied after Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Ghost came upon them.

3. Seeking and Receiving the Gift

3.1 The Importance of Faith

Verses: Galatians 3:14; Hebrews 11:6; Mark 11:24
  • That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
  • Without faith it is impossible to please God, for one must believe He is a rewarder.
  • Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

3.2 Prayer and Supplication

Verses: Luke 11:9-10; Acts 1:14; Acts 8:15
  • Ask, and it will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened.
  • The disciples continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.
  • Peter and John prayed for new believers that they might receive the Holy Ghost.

3.3 Yielding to the Spirit

Verses: Romans 6:13; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16
  • Yield yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness.
  • As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
  • Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

4. Living an Empowered Life

4.1 Walking in the Spirit

Verses: Galatians 5:25; Romans 8:4; Ephesians 5:18
  • If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
  • The righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
  • Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.

4.2 The Fruit of the Spirit

Verses: Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 1:10
  • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
  • The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
  • Walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

4.3 Spiritual Gifts for Ministry

Verses: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11
  • There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit, distributing to each as He wills.
  • Having gifts differing according to the grace given to us, let us use them.
  • As every man has received the gift, minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.