When does the Holy Spirit enters a person?

[silviawang]

my own experience:

i was be called in around Sept-2003,and reborn in 2006/2007

from 2003-2006 i thought i was a Christian but after born again i realize that in that stage i was not,and in that stage i had never feel any guiding from spirit

from august-2006 ,a very strong (i can not say what is that)came to me:the words"faith,trust in GOD,depend on GOD,surrender yourself to GOD,law or faith,pray.."

jumped into my mind/brain one by one,every word is a great subject to,and to every word ,i study hard,meditation hard one by one.......i can clearly proclaim

that these words not came from myself but someone/some spirit outside me,not still small voice,but very loud voice in my mind

after understanding and accepting all these teaching,i was born again

and after that ,i always feel the Holy spirit leading me,and i had experienced plenty much

[allofgrace]

The scriptures are the place to find this answer of when the Holy Spirit enters a person's heart, Eph 1:10-14 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

[deut31:12]

The moment when people confess and accept Jesus as their Lord by mouth and heart, say on a phone conversation OR when they are being baptized formally in front of people and confess and accept Jesus as their Lord by mouth and heart.

I think I may know the answer to this silly question already but I thought that there are others who think otherwise.

In actuality, it is when you are baptized for the remission of your sins and THEN you receive the gift of the HS. Acts 2:38

When we believe in the gospel and follow its' plan we receive the HS. It takes more than just believing and/or praying for it. Anyway God hears not the prayers of a sinner (John 9:31)

There are times in the bible that they are speaking of the receiving the gift of the HS, which is different of this time. Today we receive it by obeying the gospel as the people did in the last part of Acts 2nd chapter.

[franciskelsey]

I often chuckle when so many use Acts for doctrine. Acts was the spread of the gospel, and there was no one way in which it was done, nore in one way was the order placed for the giving of the Holy Spirit. Acts is a book about the good news and Holy Spirit being spread, but not a book to base doctrine on simpler items when most of the time we see oppisites in the way or time frame certain events happenned in different places.

However, we can use other scripture for clear doctrine when wondering if we have reeived the Holy Spirit.

<< Galatians 3 >>

New Living Translation

The Law and Faith in Christ

1Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4Have you experienced^a so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

5I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

For a very short read on why it is impossible not to have the Holy Spirit inside of you and belong to Christ, please click on http://www.gotquestions.org/receive-Holy-Spirit.html

God bless. (PS Acts is a very great book if we read it for what it is and not for what it is not. ) There are certain places in Acts it is profitable for doctrine, but these places are described in and of itself.

[enoob57]

2 Co 1:22; Eph 1:13, Rv 3:20 He who enters is the Spirit of Christ ...

Jn 14:16 The Holy Spirit and He will abide within us forever...

Love, Steven

[DiscipleDave777]

Hebrews 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Seems to me the Word of God clearly tells us when we will recieve the Holy Ghost, is when we obey Him.

^i^

[enoob57]

Hebrews 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Seems to me the Word of God clearly tells us when we will recieve the Holy Ghost, is when we obey Him.

^i^

This makes the most sense to me. How can I expect to receive the Holy Spirit when I'm acting out of self-will? It's only when I relinquish control that I am able to receive.

May I ask what you mean here in bold? Love, Steven

[Guest bryanw92]

The moment when people confess and accept Jesus as their Lord by mouth and heart, say on a phone conversation OR when they are being baptized formally in front of people and confess and accept Jesus as their Lord by mouth and heart.

I think I may know the answer to this silly question already but I thought that there are others who think otherwise.

I know that a lot of people will quote scripture to prove me wrong, but I think that the Holy Spirit is in each of us from conception. Perhaps it is just a tiny spark, like a pilot light in a stove, waiting for the fuel to come to it and create a great fire. I was 46 years old when I had my conversion experience. I stopped attending church when I was 16 and was never baptized. During those 30 years, I laughed at Christians, never prayed for anything, never thanked God for anything, never even gave Him much thought. I didn't read the bible and didn't have any use for it whatsoever. I was once on a sinking submarine (and it was worst case scenario: flooding in the engine room, loss of propulsion, loss of depth control, below test depth, and zero speed) and didn't even think to pray or to thank God when the second emergency blow stopped our descent, so I can even tell you that there ARE atheists in foxholes.

I'm telling you this to show that I had absolutely no religious or faith experience in my life until one day when the Holy Spirit came over me and, like John Wesley, I felt a warming. I felt a command to go buy a bible and start reading and to be at church on Sunday.

I did as commanded and spent the afternoon reading. When my wife got home from work that day, I told her that we were going to church (she had left the church at age 14, but was baptized). She didn't ask why. She just asked me "Are we going to be Baptists?" I said, "I don't know. I think we're going to be Methodists." We went to church that Sunday and I knew that I was home, but not in that church. We tried two more UM churches before I walked into the one I knew was mine. Today, I am a Certified Lay Speaker in the UMC and a leader in my church.

So, I believe that the Holy Spirit is in everyone. All we have to do is let it burn. We feel the heat from that tiny flame and it leads us to accept Christ. That acceptance gives us the ability to add fuel to really stoke the fire. But, if God has a need for you, then He will turn up the gas Himself.

[arighteouswoman]

Wow, so many different answers. But only one word. It's not about obeying, not about baptizing. The holy spirit came upon 3,000 at pentecost. you never hear of the holy spirit "arriving" at another time in the NT. that was after jesus ascended and told them his comforter would come. we're not speaking of the baptism with the evidence of speaking in tongues. we're not speaking of diverse tongues. we're simply speaking of the holy spirit coming to reside in us, the comforter. so that occurrence had to have been God/Jesus sending the Comforter. So it now is afforded to everyone hat believes on the finished work of jesus, and puts faith in that work. It's not about asking for forgiveness. not about being baptized. not about obedience. when you are a born again believe, you will be living according to the spirit that resides in you. you will have repented (turned from your old ways) you will sin because the word says we all sin and fall short. but jesus has dealt with sin once and for all time. on the cross. baptism is simply an outward sign of an inward change. there is no heb 5:32

[allofgrace]

That quote is from Acts 5:32 but you cannot jump into the middle of a paragraph and try to make a doctrine fit a topic. 5:29-32 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.³¹ 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.

³² And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Peter taught what was required for repentant and forgiveness of sins and that was to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and then Acts 1:8 would become effective in the believer's heart. Paul puts it a little clearly and in order for me in Eph 1:9-14 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:¹⁰ That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:¹¹ In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:¹² That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.¹³ In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,¹⁴ Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. This also would refute the idea that the Holy Spirit indwells every person regardless of their being saved because the believer is sealed(v13) after having heard the gospel and believing. Those in the flesh, never have been born again are not indwelt only Christians which shows that they are children of God. Rom 8:5-9 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.⁹ But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.