Two reminders about persecution

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. Acts 12:1-5

Two reminders about persecution:

First, persecution of God’s people is (a) as old as human beings (Abel killed Cain over worship! Genesis 4:8), and (b) is standard procedure. Remember that Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.“

That verse has always troubled me, especially when I know that persecution is the norm for incredible numbers of our brothers and sisters around the world. Why don’t we suffer as so many do—and as scripture declares? Here are two possibilities:

1. We aren’t pursuing holiness as we ought. If we were, maybe would suffer more for our faith than we do—even here in the US. Think about your personal pursuit of holiness.

2. God’s sovereign kindness. He could be protecting us for His own reasons and purposes. But we can be assured, we are no more deserving of His sovereign kindness than we are of salvation. Give thanks in humility.

Second, because so many of our family in Christ suffer for following our Savior—and especially since we do not, let us neither forget them nor cease to pray for them. I’ll share a couple of tips I’ve learned to help me do just that.

Follow the money…

Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Acts 11:29-30

As an important footnote to the previous two posts about giving, verse 30 adds this important bit of instruction. The handling of what people give (as an act of worship) is to be done by those who are both trusted and accountable. Paul makes this same point in 1 Corinthians 16:3-4.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the government understood that the money they handle is “other people’s money”? And if only they actually were accountable to the people from whom it comes!

As human leaders in the Church (specifically at GBC), we are keenly aware that the church’s funds are not only other people’s tithes and offerings, but once given, they belong to God—and we are also keenly aware that we are accountable to Him for every last penny. This is why we supply an annual financial report to our church family—which we hope you take a look at.

As those who give, it is our responsibility to know and trust those who handle the ministry’s finances. We should be careful to give only to responsible ministries that are transparently accountable to donors, and to God.

May we be good stewards of how we give—including to whom. And may those who handle the funds fear God.

One (correct) motivation

Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. Acts 11:29

Last time we considered two categories of giving. This time let us consider one motivation.  Worship.  Giving is to be an act of worship.  Other motivations may still assist those who receive the gifts, but worship is the only motivation for giving that confers blessing to the giver, and most importantly, glorifies God! 

Lesser motives for giving are just plain wrong.  These may include guilt, heartless duty, recognition, and worst: “giving to get.”  Giving to get, whether it is financial blessing or to leverage favors from God, most certainly erases any blessing or reward for giving.

But don’t we give to support ministry and assist the needy?  Yes, those are two ways our giving blesses others, but the correct motive for giving must be worship.  We give to worship God for who His is.  We give to worship God for all He does.  It is that simple.  And the more we give, the more faith is required—and God is most pleased when we give sacrificially, trusting in Him to provide for our needs.

In the Old Testament the operation of the temple and the provision for the Levites came from the peoples’ sacrifices.  But the OT worshipers didn’t offer sacrifices to support the temple or the Levitical priests.  They offered sacrifices to worship God. 

Let us follow their example.

Two categories and one motive

And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. Acts 11:29-30

There are at least two categories of giving. The first is giving to support ministries. The second is to assist those in need.

Giving to support ministries. The first place to do this is one’s local church. This not only supports the ministry of the local church, but it also assists those in need. Local churches are not only supported through the giving of its members and family, local churches should also support missions, outreach, and those in need in the church. Twenty percent of everything given to GBC goes for these express purposes. (It has been as high as 33% at times.) I believe that one of the reasons God blesses our church financially is that as a church we give so much outside our church family. Giving to our church not only supports our church, but supports outside missionaries and assists those in need.

I encourage those who can, to give above and beyond their tithe to their local church to at least one additional missionary enterprise. Giving money (even a small amount on a regular basis) to a specific mission helps us to remember, care, and pray for that missionary.

Giving to assist those in need. I encourage all believers to give something regularly to assist those in need—in addition to giving to their local church and missions. Ephesians 4:28 specifically says we work to support ourselves and our families, AND to have something “to give him who has need.” Giving money to strangers on the street is almost certainly not the wisest way to do this, since many of those who solicit such donations are irresponsible people whom we would be encouraging to remain irresponsible. A better way is to give through a respected ministry that assists the poor—while also giving the gospel! Giving extra to one’s local church designating it for “benevolence” is one way. Giving to the Ventura County Rescue Mission, or Joni and Friends is another. Another is to give extra to one of the healthcare sharing ministries to help people weighed down by medical expenses.

These are two categories of giving. Next time I’ll share one motive for giving…

Taxes and charity

One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.
Acts 11:28-30

Agabus, a legitimate New Testament prophet (see the prior blog post about true and false prophets) foretold a famine. And sure enough it took place. It rather reminds me of Joseph in Egypt as recorded in Genesis. There is one major difference, however. In Genesis, the government taxed the people during a time pf plenty (Genesis 41:34), and sold the people what they had paid in taxes during the times of want (Genesis 41:56). While preparing for the famine was wise, selling the people what they had paid in taxes, and reducing the population to a nation of slaves (Genesis 47:19-20), I do not believe was right or according to God’s will. Reread that portion of Genesis and think about it.

Instead, in Acts, the Church did what was most certainly God’s will. The people gave—freely, to help those less fortunate. This collection for the needy was one of Paul’s major emphases during his travels in the rest of Acts (see 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15).

Paying taxes is not charity. We must pay taxes, but we must also be charitable.

And let we who have so much never forget those who, through no particular fault of their own, have so little.

Prophets? Not so fast!

Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. Acts 11:27-28

Who were these prophets? The New Testament not only references Old Testament prophets, but speaks about prophets as a special “office/ministry gift “ in the context of the New Testament (e.g., Acts 13:1, 1 Corinthians 12 & 14, Ephesians 2, 3, & 4).

The number one role of a prophet is to proclaim the Word of God. Sometimes, but certainly not all, prophets predict the future. Everyone who accurately proclaims God’s Word (particularly when preaching) is exercising a prophetic gift. We must be very careful not to confuse speaking prophetically with being a prophet, in the more formal sense. Most New Testament scholars agree that the special office of Prophet, like the office of Apostle, ended at the conclusion of the Apostolic era when the last of the Apostles died.

If one does not adopt that position, then we would have to judge the prophets by the same high biblical standard of the Old Testament. That means if a person claims to be a prophet, and prophesies something that is either unbiblical or incorrectly predicts the future, they should be executed.

There have been a flurry of self-proclaimed prophets as of late, who predicted the future and were wrong. Some have even admitted that they were wrong and have given a defense that prophets can sometimes be wrong. I do not advocate executing false prophets, only that biblical (and sane) Christians disavow and condemn this kind of blasphemy.

They were first called Christians in Antioch

“…and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” Acts 11:26

The word, Christian, identifies those who closely associate themselves with Christ. It refers to people who belong to Christ, and who live to be like Christ. In that sense it is a fitting term, if it is true about those who call themselves by it. As we probably all realize however, the word, Christian, has morphed to frequently mean something other than “closely associated with Christ.”

Biblically, the word, Christian, is a noun, referring to people who are closely associated with Christ. It is now much more commonly an adjective or even an adverb—words that modify or describe a noun. This is not always a bad thing, but think of some things that are described as “Christian” that may or may not have any true association with Christ.

I can only imagine how many “Christian” things or activities that Jesus Christ would disavow as having nothing to do with Him—and are even misrepresentations of Him.

There is virtually no possibility that the term Christian can ever be reclaimed for use in it's pure sense; it would be nice if it could be. Maybe for now we can try to use the term only if it is connected to things or actions that are truly—well, Christian.

Barnabas and Saul in Antioch

…for he [Barnabas] was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:25-26

Because Barnabas “was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith'“ it is no surprise that he wanted to see the kingdom expand. Barnabas was also wise, so he sought out Saul to help further the work.

Tarsus was a major Roman city in Cilicia. There was a university there that ranked higher academically than Alexandria and Athens. Saul was born there and had returned there after his conversion (Acts 9:30). Barnabas made the two day journey to Tarsus and found Saul. We are not told how Barnabas persuaded Saul to go to Antioch, only that Saul did accompany Barnabas to Antioch. The church in Antioch was played an important role in the missionary expansion of early Christianity. More on that in Acts 13 and following, but for now, note two things about Barnabas’ and Saul’s ministry there:

One, Antioch was gifted with much great teaching. For an entire year, these two notable Christian leaders taught the church—so that church was well taught. Being in a well taught church is a blessing.

Two, it was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. Up until this point, Jesus' followers referred to themselves as brothers, disciples, believers, saints, and those who belonged to the Way. Why Christians? Some contend that it was first a derogatory term imposed by scoffing non-believers. Others believe it was a term carefully chosen by believers. The word “Christian” has as it’s root “Christ,” with the suffix “ian” which emphasizes one’s identification with Christ. It is a fitting term, if it is true. More next time…

Five more about Barnbabas

Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
Acts 11:22-24

As mentioned last time, Barnabas was a key figure in the book of Acts and the earliest expansion of the Church. Last time I shared five of ten interesting facts about Barnabas from “Leadership Resources.” Here are the second five of these ten:

6.   While praying, fasting, and worshiping God, Barnabas and Saul received the call from the Holy Spirit to go on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3).

7.   Barnabas, along with Paul, served to straighten out Jew/Gentile tensions that arose in the early Church by sharing from the Scriptures and his experience how the Gentiles were being saved and could fellowship with Jews (Acts 15:1-21; Galatians 2:1-10). Although this issue was not without its challenges for Barnabas. In Galatians 2:13, Paul called Barnabas out for being led astray by Jewish circumcision party hypocrisy for a time (presumably before the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15).

8.   Barnabas had a sharp disagreement with Paul that ended their ministry together. Acts 15:36-41 explains that Barnabas wanted to take Mark along on their missionary journey while Paul did not because Mark had abandoned them on a previous trip. Paul would eventually describe Mark as “useful to me” at the end of his life (2 Timothy 4:11). It makes sense that Barnabas would stick up for Mark–they were cousins (Colossians 4:10).

9.   There was wide speculation about Barnabas in early Church history. James Brooks explains, “In the third century Barnabas was identified by Clement of Alexandria as one of the 70 of Luke 10:1; Tertullian referred to him as the author of Hebrews; and the Clementine Recognitions stated he was the Matthias of Acts 1:23, 26. All of these are most unlikely. In the second century an epistle bearing Barnabas’s name appeared, became quite popular, and even received some consideration for a place in the NT. Later an apocryphal Acts of Barnabas and perhaps even a Gospel of Barnabas were circulated.”

10. Barnabas left a tremendous legacy. All of the above facts (except #9) prove Barnabas to be a strong man of faith who left a lasting legacy and stored up for himself a lucrative inheritance in Heaven.

Two quick notes from Errol: (1) It is too bad that believers, especially those of the spiritual stature of Paul and Barnabas, would have such strong disagreements (as in #8). But it happens. If we must disagree, let us seek to do so graciously. (2) Though Barnabas was so highly revered as to have been incorrectly identified as being and doing what he never was or did, we can thank the Holy Spirit for revealing that those speculations about him in #9 were fallacious.

Five about Barnabas

Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
Acts 11:22-24

Barnabas was a key figure in the book of Acts and the earliest expansion of the Church. I would like to pass along five of ten interesting facts about Barnabas from “Leadership Resources.” The second five of the ten will appear in Monday’s post.

1. “Barnabas” wasn’t his birth name (Joseph was), it was his nickname meaning “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). This rather obscure Bible character was so encouraging that it became his name. What a legacy to leave! What an example to follow. What would people nickname you?

2. Background: Acts 4:36 records that Barnabas was a Levite and a Cyprian (that is, a native of the island of Cyprus).

3. Barnabas put the kingdom first with possessions. His first recorded action is that he “sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37). He also was acknowledged by Paul for supporting himself financially for his ministry instead of depending on churches (1 Corinthians 9:6).

4. After Paul’s dramatic conversion, Barnabas courageously vouched for him when the Jerusalem church was suspicious that a former persecutor would want to join their ranks (Acts 9:26-31).

5. Barnabas was a Christian leader and preacher (Acts 15:35). On one occasion, he was sent by the Jerusalem church to Antioch. Acts 11:23-24 describes his arrival, “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.” After his arrival, Barnabas sought out Saul to help him with the work (Acts 11:25).

One of the characteristics I [Errol] admire most about Barnabas was how God used him to develop other leaders. I do not feel that this is one of my strengths. I need to pray about that.

Can you see anything in Barnabas that you would like to see God do in your life?

Turning from sin, to the Lord

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
Acts 11:21

This simple verse underscores the fact that faith and repentance are inseparably linked. While the word “repentance” is not in the verse, the words, “turned to the Lord” are another way of saying, repentance. Repentance is turning from sin, to the Lord. This is important for three reasons:

First, when sharing Christ with non-believers, we do not want to misrepresent the gospel so that people think that believing without repentance is genuine faith. Many nonbelievers have a false sense of assurance that they are Christians because they “believe in Jesus,” though their faith has no corresponding repentance.

Second, we should not have a false sense of assurance about the salvation of family and friends who claim to believe, if their lives give no evidence of the change that happens when a person is truly converted. Remember Jesus’ words: “You shall know them by their fruits.”

Third, we need to “examine [our]selves as to whether [we]are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). While even believers are far from sinless, if we are truly saved, our lives are marked by a desire to turn from sin to follow the Lord.

Do you know these three lessons?

Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19-21

God uses what opposes Him. Sound doctrine, for example, has often been hammered out because false doctrine needs to be corrected. In a similar fashion, persecution has often been used by God to expand the Church.

You will remember that Jesus issued the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20 & Acts 1:8), in which He commanded His disciples (including us!) to take the gospel here, there, and everywhere. Instead, for the most part the believers remained huddled in Jerusalem. Persecution arose and stirred the believers to scatter, and as a result, the gospel went to more people in more places.
Lesson Number One: we ought not wait for persecution (or any adversity) to obey the Great Commission. We cannot all “Go to the ends of the earth,” but we can speak of Jesus where we live, and support those who do “Go” with finances and with prayer.

The first ones to venture out preaching the gospel limited their audience to other Jewish people. It is what happened, but it was a mistake.
Lesson Number Two: We must not choose who we speak with about Christ. It is not up to us to determine who God may or may not be pleased to save. Let us speak to and pray for all we encounter.

The results was that “a great number believed.”
Lesson Number Three: God saves His people, but He has sovereignly chosen to do so through those He has already saved, as they speak to and pray for non-believers, whoever and wherever they are.

Silence. Glory. Pray.

If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." Acts 11:17-18

Peter was challenged by the Jewish Christians (11:3) for his experience with Gentiles (chapter 10). Peter replied, explaining how the Lord led him to do what he did, and that God saved the Gentiles, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit (11:4-17). How did the objecting Jewish believers respond to these things?

They became silent. Perhaps the first and best response to something new is silence. That it is new means we have probably not thought about it. Times of silence are times to think. And to pray. Speaking before thinking and praying is a common recipe for the disaster of regretting what has been said.

They glorified God. Obviously, the truth of what Peter told them was understood and embraced. And because the result of Peter’s encounter with the Gentiles was their salvation, there was reason to glorify God.

They understood that salvation is God’s to give, and that it is not ours (whoever we may be), to give or withhold, or to begrudge. Truly salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit are God’s gifts, unearned, or deserved by any person or people group.

Take a moment right now to pray for those who take the message of the cross to other people groups, and that those who hear the gospel with their ears, will be granted the gift of receiving the message with their hearts.

Peter didn't blast people for not understanding

(4) But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying… (16) Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'  (17) If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" Acts 11:4, 16-17 (Please read the entire passage if you have time.)

I believe Peter understood those who challenged his newfound conviction about God’s inclusion of Gentiles into the Church. He patiently remembered his own resistance to this reality. So instead of blasting his challengers for not understanding, Peter humbly explained how he too had resisted the idea—even as God gave him an apostolic vision!

After confessing his stubbornness, he simply explained how God brought him along.

Note that Peter referred to God’s Word. As an apostle, God’s Word came to him supernaturally. In our case, God’s Word is in the Bible.

And instead of confronting them regarding their lack of understanding, Peter asked, “…who was I that I could withstand God?"

Next time, we’ll consider the results in the hearts of those to whom he spoke.

We did not always understand the positions we now hold

Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!" Acts 11:1-3

Peter had a hard time swallowing the concept that Gentiles were included alongside Jews in Christ’s Church. It took a vision and a rather dramatic experience at Cornelius’s house for Peter to be fully on board with the idea.

Setting the Jewish/Gentile issue aside, isn’t it likewise interesting that when God reveals something to us—causing us to experience a measure of spiritual growth— we often encounter others who do not understand. And these others often challenge us about our new convictions.

For example, God shows us that certain convictions we previously held are incorrect. Maybe it has to do with eschatology (end times and Christ’s Second Coming). Maybe is in regard to the sovereignty of God, or with the applicability of the Ten Commandments. Because of new convictions, changes in lifestyle may occur. We may be excited to share our new convictions with others. But “lo and behold,” not everyone is quick to accept, much less join us. How shall we respond? Here are two suggestions:

First, we must not be surprised. We must remember that we did not always understand the positions we now hold.

Second, we must be patient. Instead of shaking our heads wondering why others do not see things as we do, let us patiently restrain ourselves from thinking less of others to whom these ideas are not yet known. And while we share what we have learned, let us do so patiently. Prayerfully. Gently. Unaggressively.

It is great to grow in our understanding, so long as we do so graciously.

Next time, we’ll consider Peter’s response.

Water baptism not the same as baptism of the Spirit

Then Peter answered, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. Acts 10:47-48

What is the relationship between being baptized in the Holy Spirit (v.44-46) (or “into Christ” Romans 6:3) and water baptism? Just this:

Being “baptized into Christ,” which is synonymous with being “baptized in the Holy Spirit,” is a spiritual work of God. It happens at the moment of regeneration. “Water baptism” is the sacrament that is a symbol of being baptized into Christ.

Remember that sacraments are “outward physical symbols of inward spiritual realities.” Though water baptism cannot save, we are baptized in water because it is commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). When we are baptized in water, we bear testimony that the inward spiritual reality has taken place by the grace of God. This is why we believe that the sacrament of water baptism is only for those who have a credible profession of faith in Christ.

Has the Holy Spirit baptized you into Christ—in other words, have you been born again? If you have, have you been baptized in water? If your answers to those two questions are “Yes” and “Yes",
great. If your answer to those two questions are “Yes” and “No,” let’s talk about water baptism and get you baptized!

Astonished that God would/could save Gentiles

And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Acts 10:45-46

That the Jewish believers were astonished that God would/could save Gentiles probably seems a little foreign to us. We have two thousand years of Church history behind us during which most believers were Gentile. In that day however, the Jewish-Gentile divide was stark. It was one of the biggest, if not the biggest issue in the first generation of Christians.

But I wonder how many of us struggle with the same issue even if the parties are not Jewish and Gentile. I wonder how many of us pray for unsaved family and friends, not really believing that God would/could save them. Whether they are Jewish or Gentile may not be the sticking point, but what about non-believers of different religions? Can God save Muslims, or Hindus, or Buddhists, or hard core secularists? Of course we know that He can, but when we pray for them, is it with little or no faith? Do we give up praying for them altogether after a while?

Because we know that God not only can, but does save all kinds of people—including the least likely sometimes, let is pray for, and speak of Christ to as many people as we can, without thought of whether or not they are likely candidates!

"You do give altar calls, don't you?"

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Acts 10:44

How could these people be saved? Peter didn’t even give an altar call!

Precisely. Altar calls are a somewhat modern invention on the timeline of Church history. They were unknown until the 1800s, when a man named Charles Finney introduced the concept. In His day, Finney’s innovations were called “new measures.” The altar call was only one of Finney’s new measures; there were others. Finney’s thinking was that we can make conversions and revivals happen if we use the right methods. That is a nice way of saying, “we can manipulate people to cause salvations.”

For a more thorough understanding of Finney’s disastrous influence on the Church Click Here.

For now, let us be instructed and encouraged that “the gospel is the power of God to salvation” (Romans 1:16), not our methods (or manipulations). Just as it was when Peter proclaimed the gospel to Cornelius’s household, God saves His people as the gospel is faithfully proclaimed—even without an altar call!

Two follow-up thoughts: (1) God may save people when altar calls are given, but not because of the altar call. It may even be in spite of an altar call. Salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit as the gospel is proclaimed. (2) One of the biggest problems with altar calls is that so many who have not been saved think they are saved because they responded to an altar call. The resulting false assurance of salvation often inoculates them from paying attention to future gospel presentations because they think they are saved, when in fact they are not!

Can a person be born again and not have the Holy Spirit?

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Acts 10:44

What does it mean that “the Holy Spirit fell upon” them? There are two opinions on this question.

One opinion is taught by Pentecostal or Charismatic believers. These believe and teach that the Holy Spirit comes upon people who are already saved, but not filled with the Spirit as a “second blessing.” There are three problems with this position: (1) It establishes two-classes of believers, those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and those who are not. (2) It says people can be saved and not filled with the Holy Spirit. (3) This position is relatively new on the timeline of church history, gaining popularity mostly among Charismatics only since the beginning of the 20th century.

The other opinion is more widely held by more scholars throughout church history. This opinion is that the “Holy Spirit falling upon” a person is what happens when that person is born again. In other words, everyone who is born again by the Holy Spirit is also filled with the Holy Spirit.

Here are two important takeaways: (1) Everyone who is saved is filled with the Holy Spirit. This reminds us that as believers filled with the Holy Spirit, we are responsible to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:17). (2) Those who are not filled with the Holy Spirit are not born again by the Holy Spirit either—allowing for no such nonsense that a person can live “carnally” (in the flesh) and be saved.

What Jesus accomplished

“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43

To Him: Jesus and the gospel are inextricably one. We believe the gospel when we believe in Him.

All the prophets witness: Jesus was not ”Plan B,” or an after thought. It was God’s plan from eternity past to save His people through faith in Jesus. And God foretold this wonderful plan throughout the Old Testament by His servants, the prophets.

Whoever believes: Anyone and everyone who believes (trusts) in Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross by dying, and then by rising from the dead, will be saved. Anyone. Left to ourselves, as those dead in sin, no one would ever believe. But God in His sovereign mercy, regenerates His people, causing them to believe—and be saved!

Receive remission of sins: Remission (forgiveness) of sin is what is needed to be accepted by God and gain entrance into Heaven. Why? Because there is no sin in Heaven, so those who go there must have their sins entirely washed away. That is what Jesus accomplished for those who trust in Him!