The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Repent . . . and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. —Acts 2:38

There are many reasons that God sent Jesus to die for us. Most of the Church’s teaching on that event has been for the purpose of our being saved and going to heaven. We have sung songs about heaven and expressed our desire in prayer to get off this crummy earth, go to streets of gold and mansions made for us, and live in God’s presence. All this is true and brings a good hope for the believer, but in this verse, Peter gives a main reason to repent: so you can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! The Holy Ghost is the main reason for Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (John 14:16–20). His presence in your life will turn this crummy earth into a place of power, ministry, and His presence. You do not have to be absent from the body to be present with the Lord. You can live in God’s presence today through the Person of the Holy Ghost! You are then expected to pass Him down to your children and all who are afar off (Acts 2:39). The Holy Ghost is your key to a joyful, peaceful, fulfilled life here on earth. You must understand that the reason you are here, and the work you are called to do, will only be fulfilled through the Holy Spirit’s influ- ence in your daily life. Each day, this day, must not be just another ordinary day of work, eat, and sleep. Make a difference—make an impact on someone today through the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Pastor Tom Kehres

His Desire Is for You

Make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. . . . And I will dwell among [My people]. —Exodus 25:8; 29:45

Do you desire to get to know God and live in His presence? Paul desired to “know him, and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10). After you are born again, there is a strong desire in you to be with God, to feel His presence, and to have the assurance of a relationship with Him. We come together in church to sing and praise and worship Him, and He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). The entire Body ushers in His tangible presence and glory, and people are refreshed and renewed in the Spirit. But notice, according to these Scriptures, not only do you desire to be in His presence and have intimate fellowship with Him—He desires to live and dwell among you! God declares, “Make Me a sanctuary, so I can dwell, settle down, take up residence, among My people.” This desire, this longing, for a close relationship is a two-way street. God is not hiding from you, trying to avoid you; He has a deep desire to be with you. In the Old Testament, He told them to make Him a place where He could be among them, but in the New Testament, He has made you His sanctuary! Never see God as a far-off, distant God, but One who is ever-present with you. God’s desire is to live in your presence—to dwell within you.

Pastor Tom Kehres

Hide? No, Seek

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.
—Genesis 3:8

Man was created by a God of love for relationship and fellowship with God Himself. Man walked with God, talked with God, and lived in the glory of God. But Adam then disobeyed God’s command, violated His Word, and sinned. When the sin occurred, God did not hide from man, leave man, or separate Himself from man, but man hid himself from God. Fear became man’s master, and guilt and condemnation ruled his thought life; Adam had disrupted the very reason for his existence: intimate fellowship with God. So God sent Jesus to the cross; He became sin, became the curse, to restore man’s fellowship to God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). He made man righteous and holy, with a God-nature in the new birth, so fellowship could be restored by His blood (Ephesians 4:24; 1 John 1:7). Even though this work is finished and Jesus will never suffer and die again, many Christians are still hiding from God, not enjoy- ing His presence, because of an evil conscience. An evil conscience is a mindset that is focused on your daily performance rather than Jesus’s performance on the cross. It focuses on sin rather than right- eousness and will produce fear, guilt, and condemnation rather than peace with God. Let the Blood “purge your conscience from dead works” so you can serve and have fellowship with God (Hebrews 9:14). Put your faith in Christ’s blood, not in your performance.

Pastor Tom Kehres

Empowered

But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me. —Acts 1:8

What a privilege to be endued with power! What kind of life would we have without the supernatural power to live above the curse and our circumstances? You no longer have to bow to sickness, lack, worry, and fear—you have been endued with power. Why continue to live an ordinary life? Why live like you are power-less and help-less? No, I say! You have been empowered to be a witness for God, to be a proof-provider that Jesus is alive! Supernatural signs and wonders await you if you will only put your trust in the promise of the Holy Ghost, who has come upon you and abides within you. Don’t think of yourself as ordinary any longer. Stop seeing yourself with only natural ability and start to meditate on the power that has been infused into your life. Tarry no longer—go with the power and ability of God at work in and through your life!

Pastor Tom Kehres