Jesus prophesied several times about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus made the Holy Spirit known to His disciples and promised His disciples the Holy Spirit. But when do you receive the Holy Spirit from God? What is the requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit?
God gives the Holy Spirit to them that obey Him
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him (Acts 5:30-32)
In Acts 5:32 it is written, that God has given the Holy Spirit to them that obey Him. And that’s still the case, God gives the Holy Spirit to them that obey Him. Obedience to God and His Word is a requirement to receive the Holy Spirit.
Those, who rebel against God and don’t do what God says in His Word and don’t walk in the will of God shall not receive the Holy Spirit.
Because why do you need the Holy Spirit if you are not willing to submit to God and refuse to do what the Word says?
The Holy Spirit is often considered as some kind of energy, a power, that is manifested in a feeling or emotion.
But God the Holy Spirit is not an emotion or feeling. The Holy Spirit is a Person and is the other Comforter, Jesus was speaking about, Who would be sent by the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ, just like those, who belong to Jesus Christ and are His witnesses
If you love Jesus, you obey Him and do what the Word says
If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:15-17)
Jesus said, that if you love Him, you will keep His commandments and therefore you will do what He says. And if you love Jesus and obey Him, by keeping His commandments, Jesus promised He would pray to the Father and that the Father shall give you another Comforter,
This other Comforter is the Holy Spirit, and if you love Jesus and do what He says, you shall receive the other Comforter and He shall be with you forever.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and shall be in those, who obey the Truth
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning (John 15:26-27)
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:12-15)
The world doesn’t see the Holy Spirit and doesn’t know the Holy Spirit. Therefore those, who belong to the world can’t receive the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of truth.
But those, who believe in Jesus the Christ and are saved through Him and have laid down their own lives and through regeneration in Christ are reconciled with God and have become a new creation, and submit themselves to Jesus Christ and follow Jesus and obey Him, they shall receive the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of truth.
They shall see the Holy Spirit and they shall know the Holy Spirit. And together with the Holy Spirit, they shall testify of the Truth and preach the truth of God.
The Holy Spirit shall be with them and shall be in them and as long as they stay faithful to Him and obey Him, the Holy Spirit shall abide in them forever.
When do you receive the Holy Spirit?
And so those, who believe in Jesus Christ and become born again in Christ and become a new creation and follow Jesus and obey Him, shall receive the Holy Spirit from God.
Obedience to God and His Word is a requirement to receive the Holy Spirit. Because that is how the sons of God and the sons of the devil are distinguished (Read also: ‘The commandments of God and the commandments of the devil‘, ‘Obedience to God‘ and ‘Disobedience to God‘).
When someone says (s)he has the Holy Spirit, but refuses to submit to God and doesn’t do what Jesus; the Word says and doesn’t confess Jesus the Christ and is no witness of Him, but walks after the flesh and lives like the world and do the works of the flesh, which are written in the Bible, you might ask yourself is (s)he has the Holy Spirit or the new age spirit? (Read also: ‘The Holy Spirit vs the new age spirit, which spirit dwells in you?‘)
Because those, who are born again in Christ and are reconciled with God and have become sons of God (both males and females) and belong to God, shall walk after the Spirit and be continuously led by the Spirit, because they obey God and do what the Word tells them to do.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
