AboutJoe Norman Expertise I can answer questions regarding acceptable worship, organization of the church, or any apsect of the Christian life. I am the son of a preacher and have studied the Bible from cover to cover since I was 12 years old. I am strong in my research skills and do not follow teachings of men. Many will label me as conservative and some might label me as liberal, but I just seek to be biblical. I understand proper exegesis and hermeneutics and apply them. My desire is to share my knowledge of God's Word with others. Please always keep in mind that none of us who are listed as experts here are divinely inspired and therefore it is possible to get incorrect answers from any one of us. Study the Scriptures and decide for yourself if what is taught is true.
Experience I am the 4th generation in my family to be a faithful member of the church of Christ. I was raised by a preacher and have studied the Bible everyday since I was twelve. I am 44 yrs old now. I am not a "scholar", but I am very familiar with the scriptures.
Organizations member of the church of Christ, served as a Deacon for a few years at LakeShore church of Christ in Waco, Tx. I currently live in the North Dallas area and worship with the Lewisville church of Christ.
Question QUESTION: Why is the church not being taught the infilling of the Holy Spirit as in the book of Acts?
ANSWER: Hi Ted,
I am not sure what you mean by the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit. We teach on the Holy Spirit in every local church in which I have been a member. If you are speaking of how the Spirit "fell upon" people in the book of Acts and gave them miraculous gifts, we do teach on this as well. It was unique to the first century Christians. Consider the following:
Acts 8:14-23
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
Other than the apostles on the day of Pentecost and Cornelius and his household, the Spirit did not directly "fall upon" anyone else as far as we know. Everyone else in the first century only received miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the apostles' hands. Simon saw this happen once and tried to purchase the ability to pass on these gifts to others as well.
Only the apostles had this ability to pass on the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit and so once they all died, no one else could pass it on and the miracles ended. This is predicted by Paul in I Corinthians as well.
1 Cor.13:8-10
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
That which is perfect I believe is referring to the complete New Testament. The only purpose of the miracles was to convince people that those who preached the gospel were speaking with God's authority. The completed Bible is our proof today.
Now I am not saying that the Holy Spirit is not still involved in the lives of Christians and in the world today. I am merely telling you that the miracles ended by the end of the first century or shortly thereafter. But we do receive the "gift" of the Holy Spirit when we are water baptized in the name of Jesus FOR the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
I also believe the Holy Spirit is involved in some way when we pray (Rom.8:26) I also know that the Spirit is our seal when we are water baptized (Eph.1:13). I firmly believe that the Spirit works through God's divine providence as well.
I hope that this clarifies some things about the Holy Spirit that you might not have known or understood before. If you have any specific questions about the Holy Spirit or need any specific passage in the Bible explained to you, please let me know. I will always be more than happy to help.
In Christ, Joe Norman
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Joe Norman,
Thank you for your reply.I am a born again believer in Jesus the Christ, our saviour. If at any time you would like to discuss the subject please feel frree to e-mail me.
In Christ Jesus
Ted Howard
Answer I appreciate your offer. I am always willing to discuss and teach on the Holy Spirit. I am here to help answer questions others have though. If you do not understand something I presented, feel free to ask follow-up questions, but this is not a debate site. I am confident that I understand as much as the Bible reveals about the Holy Spirit and am happy to help.
