The disciples had to tarry, staying in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost, not only for their own preparation but because they had to wait until the Lord was actually glorified. And as soon as He was glorified, what happened? “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). The statement in John 7:39— “…for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified”— does not pertain to us. The Holy Spirit has been given; the Lord is glorified— our waiting is not dependent on the providence of God, but on our own spiritual fitness.The Holy Spirit’s influence and power were at work before Pentecost, but He was not here. Once our Lord was glorified in His ascension, the Holy Spirit came into the world, and He has been here ever since. We have to receive the revealed truth that He is here. The attitude of receiving and welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive reviving life from our ascended Lord.It is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit that changes people, but the power of the ascended Christ coming into their lives through the Holy Spirit. We all too often separate things that the New Testament never separates. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an experience apart from Jesus Christ— it is the evidence of the ascended Christ.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit does not make you think of time or eternity— it is one amazing glorious now. “This is eternal life, that they may know You…” (John 17:3). Begin to know Him now, and never finish.

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May 27 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, over the last few days You have been walking us through lessons about waiting and engaging the Holy Spirit to precipitate our conscience acts of surrender, connection and curiosity in our day to day walk with You.  I am not sure we understand, but we do know it is true; our ability to surrender ourselves to You and be connected and curious about how You will respond is directly tied to our prayers and conscience efforts to have the Holy Spirit within us connected to your Spirit. It is clear that we do not need to understand, in fact, we know we cannot understand how Your Holy Spirit works.  We just know that when we have been wholly committed in prayer to seeking You and the power of Your Sprit; our questions no longer need answers, our fears are gone even though our circumstances have not changed at all. This then becomes part and parcel of our efforts to seek surrender, connection and curiosity about how You will engage in our lives.

And God says…”Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight. If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can say to a mountain, “move” and it will move.  You know that My ways are not your ways, and to try and intellectualize Me is futile. It is not about understanding; it is about surrender, connection, curiosity and obedience. You must find Me in your Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit within you to connect with the Spirit of God. When you are connected to the Spirit of God, you know without knowing, trust without evidence, and believe because it seems the very natural thing to do.  And you are now obedient because you want to be obedient. Seek Me first, and everything else you need will be provided, including the connection of your Spirit with the very Spirit of God that leads you in all things.”