Experiencing the Holy Ghost

Experiencing the Holy Ghost

by Wayne Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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The Spirit of Truth

John 14:16
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever . . .

The Lord, Himself, had been with the disciples, but here He begins to prepare them for the time when He would go back to His Father's house. While He had been with them, He had been a great comforter: but now He speaks of sending another Comforter who would abide with them forever.

John 14:17
. . . 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.

God is a God of truth. Truth is such an important factor round about Him. No lies ... no lying, only truth — those things that are established as being true.

II Timothy 4:3,4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

To turn away somebody's heart from the truth would be to make them become a lover of lies, no longer loving the truth because they are now taken up with lies. But when the Spirit of Truth lives and rests within, dwelling and working in us, we will be lovers of truth.

John 14:18
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Jesus was talking about the Spirit of Truth who would be given to them. He was not going to leave them comfortless but, in the Holy Ghost, would come to them.

The Comforter Within

He told them that the Holy Spirit was with them and would be in them. This is a change that would take place: now being with them, and later being in them. It's like saying that the Holy Spirit is around you, and would come and take up His residency in you.

Jesus was assuring their hearts that the Holy Spirit who was with them would come to abide in them. He also assured them that He would not leave them comfortless but that He, too, would come to them.

John 14:19
Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also.

Because Jesus lives, because He has risen from the dead, His work is to bring us into that relationship where we, too, have eternal life.

John 14:20
At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.

The Lord's desire is really manifest here: He wants to have this fellowship with you and me, wanting to be with us always. Take this seriously. He wants to fellowship with us; He wants to be near to us, to be close; He wants to dwell with us and to dwell in us.

Recognize that this speaks of a deep relationship. How blessed we are when the Holy Spirit is within.

That little phrase, I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. That's a double thing: I in you and you in Me. How is this?

There was the time when we were praying and seeking for the Holy Ghost, and He came and filled us to overflowing! He came to do what Jesus said He would do: to dwell with us and to dwell in us.

Jesus said that in that day we would know that He was in the Father, and the Father in Him, and He in us.

Our Teacher

The Holy Spirit has a work to do: taking the things of Jesus and making them real to us. A lot that we know about Jesus is because the Holy Spirit has taught us those things. Whether or not we recognized at the time what was happening when He was teaching us, nevertheless it is true that He does teach us all truth. The Holy Spirit makes Jesus manifest so that we can know Him.

Bear in mind that the Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ and makes them real, makes them manifest to us. Think of all the things of Jesus that are real to us.

We're doing the things which He did, whether we know it or not. Every time there is an altar call or one of us is reaching out to a soul, every time we pray for the sick, we're doing what He did.

In the Gospels we find Jesus in the house healing the sick, find Him in the synagogue healing the sick, preaching the Gospel. As we read the Word, the Holy Spirit teaches us the works that we should be doing.

John 14:12
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.

This is a big statement. Who could compare to Jesus and what He did here upon this earth? But it's not that we're being compared to Him; it's that we're being brought up in a relationship where the things He has and the things He does are the same as what we now do, or should be doing. And greater works: greater in number, as He works in and through us throughout the world.

Obedience, the Expression of Our Love

John 14:21
He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.

In verse 15 Jesus said, If you love Me, keep My commandments.

If! If you love Me . . . When you truly love Him, it's in your heart to keep His commandments.

Are you serious today about keeping His commandments, or do you disregard some of them and throw them over your shoulder? I'm not going to obey that one! I don't want to do that! I'm going to do just exactly what I want to do.

How can we fellowship with Him when we're not obedient to Him? I trust it's deep in your heart to love and obey Him: where you want to walk with Him, you want to obey Him, you want to walk in obedience to His Word. You know the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of Truth, and you want to take the Word of God seriously.

There's that deep relationship. Jesus wants us to know about how important obedience is to this relationship.

How are we doing in the realm of keeping His commandments? Love and keeping the commandments have to go together. If we're going to love and serve the Lord, we're going to obey Him and keep His commandments. And we're going to do it because it's right in our heart to do it. He puts this love in us for Him, and it should be kin to us to want to be obedient.

Obedience can't be put aside. We can't crowd it out. We can't love the world, putting all our time and emphasis there, and yet claim we love Jesus.

He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father. You love Jesus, and God the Father will love you. There's a relationship there: people that worship God in love find themselves in a deep relationship. There is a manifest love in their obedience, and the Father in turn loves them.

So our relationship of loving Jesus brings us into a deeper relationship with the Father.

John 14:22
Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

We're in the world, but the world is unaware of the relationship we have with God. Does the world see what goes on in our heart? Does the world see what goes on between us and the Lord day after day in our love and devotion to Him? Does the world see that we love Jesus, and the Father's love is made manifest to us?

No, the world doesn't see that. But we who love Jesus see it, we know it, we understand it — because it's been made real to us of the Holy Ghost.

The Trinity Abiding with Us

John 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

This speaks of the Father and His only begotten Son — speaking of them coming to make their abode with us through the Spirit. Recognize that there is a full, deep experience to be had.

What is the length and the height and the breadth and the depth of the love of God? How far can one go? How deep? How high? How broad? How far? Can one go too far?

Someone said that if the ocean were filled with ink, and you took a pen to write all that could be said about God and His love, the ocean would be dry! There's so much. It's bigger, higher, wider, and deeper than we can fathom. Yes, His love is far greater than we can fully comprehend.

But wouldn't it be good to let more of it in? Wouldn't it be good to just keep fired up — to be in the realm where you just want this to be so full that your light will shine brightly, your love will shine forth, your relationship will stand out for others to see Jesus in you?

He speaks here of what they would do: we will come and make our abode with you. Abode is the place where one dwells, where one meets to fellowship. Your prayer closet could be an abode. But the abode Jesus speaks of here is where they are going to come and dwell within you, filling you with their presence.

Now, understand that what Jesus is saying really happens. He's talking about Himself and about His Father: If a man love Me and keep My words My Father will love Him, and we (My Father and I) will come unto him and make our abode with him.

He wants us to understand that truly we are in a relationship to where we not only love the Father and the Son, but in the Holy Spirit the Father and the Son now abide with us.

Now, we have to understand who the Holy Ghost is. We don't see Him walking around. We don't see Jesus in bodily form walking around, as He did back in the days when He was upon this earth as man. We don't see the Father passing by as a person.

But they are here, the entire Godhead, and they are here with those of us who have been born again. They're here in the Spirit. And in the Spirit they're not only with us but they are within us. This full manifestation brings a full relationship into our heart and life.

When we see Jesus in the Scriptures, we are seeing a full manifestation of God, a full manifestation of the Godhead bodily. The presence of God was manifest in such a wonderful way: Emmanuel with us in this world.

The Blessings of the Holy Spirit Within

We know we have passed from death unto life when we love the brethren. Did we always love the brethren? Did we always love everybody? We didn't know what true love was like until God's love came into our heart and soul. When the Holy Spirit came, He brought His presence into our lives. And bringing His presence brings love.

The presence of the Lord also brings a fullness of joy into our hearts. We have this presence with us, have this fellowship with us — but if we're not careful, we can draw away from that, trading this joy for the things of the world.

Jesus is close to us, closer than our hands and feet. It's such a close-knit relationship. I can't think of anything that gives greater joy early in the morning than to get into your prayer closet and, suddenly, the Holy Ghost makes His presence known. Suddenly, you're caught up in the Spirit and the close presence of the Lord. The next thing you know, the Lord is talking with you. He's not only with you, but He talks with you and fellowships with you.

John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

That's a beautiful verse, clearly defining what the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, will do for you. He is the Holy Spirit of God, clearly identified here, so you can know who He is. He's going to teach us all things that pertain to God, making the things of Christ real to us.

The Holy Ghost in you can bring to your remembrance what you need at the time. You may say you don't have a good memory. Listen, the Holy Ghost can bring to you all things the Lord ever said to you. He can bring them back to your remembrance.

The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you.

I John 2:27
But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.

I don't believe the Lord was saying we won't need teachers along the way, that the church doesn't need any teachers. What He is saying here is that the Holy Ghost is a teacher and that He lives within the believer. The schoolhouse is within you. And, as a teacher, He brings things to your remembrance and teaches you all things which you need to know.

Now, He uses teachers to teach you but it's like a twofold thing — where the teacher gets up and opens his mouth to teach you, and the Holy Ghost is able to take those words and put them deep within, able to take those words and give you clear understanding of them, able to really bring those words home.

You know what it's like when you hear a message and, in the midst of the message, everything suddenly comes alive and it really hits home. Truth is being revealed to you; truth is entering your heart and being made manifest.

This is what we should ever look for. If it is the Lord who is speaking, truth will ever be flowing forth; love will be flowing; what the Lord is, and who He is, will be flowing. He's going to make clear those things.

Here now, in this wonderful experience when the Comforter, called the Holy Ghost, comes (whom the Father sends in Jesus' name), He will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever Jesus has said unto you. That's a neat experience.

I'm amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to reveal things to us. We should appreciate all that He reveals unto us. We should look to say that if He's revealing something, we want to fully know what it means, to be able to grasp what He is revealing.

As you read the Old Testament, you see where the presence of the Holy Ghost was with men back in those days, men whom God anointed. We look at many lives in the Old Testament who were really used of God. I want you to understand that the Spirit of God dwelling in them is like the Spirit of God dwelling in you. He's here.

And shouldn't He have free course in your life, bringing you greater and deeper spiritual blessings?

Yielding to the Holy Spirit

You and I need the Holy Ghost. We need to yield to the Holy Ghost. Yielding is what's important. If the Holy Ghost is in us then we shouldn't be so quick to cast something aside as being meaningless, or not take time to stop and ask the Lord what it means. Lord, is this You telling me something? We shouldn't dismiss things too quickly as being irrelevant.

Understand that in our experience we should esteem being filled with the Holy Ghost to be a great thing in our lives, a great experience. We should be in the place where we stop to say, Lord, I want to learn to yield to the Holy Spirit.

He can speak to us in our own language, and He can also speak other languages, of man and of heaven. We don't know, many times, the benefit that praying in an unknown tongue can bring, what that could lead to, praying in the Spirit.

Now, there's an entering in to the things of the Spirit of God. One of the great doors that is prepared for you is your prayer closet, wherever it is that you go to pray: that place where you go to meet with God, to get alone with the Lord; that place where you can pray and read the Scriptures. Such times are times of giving of yourself to the Lord and yielding unto Him.

Lots of times people don't make much of this. They don't take it seriously and they come up short.

Too many Pentecostal Christians are acting like they don't know the power of God. They say they don't understand instead of getting on their faces and crying out to God for understanding.

Going All the Way

We need to take hold and realize where we fall short, as we compare our experience with the Holy Ghost to the experience of those we read about in the Bible.

I want to bring you to a point of taking seriously all that you read in the Bible. You read about Pentecost and get excited; you want what they had. But if you're going down that road at all, you want to go all the way down that road to recognize you're dealing with great things in regard to this experience with God of being filled with the Holy Ghost.

Recognize that those people in the Bible were doing what we should be doing. We should know that God does reveal things, does give wisdom, does give understanding, does bring whatsoever He has said to us to our remembrance, and does give gifts.

This is not a light experience. The Holy Ghost life is not a light matter. But it's all up to you and me what we do with all of this. It's all up to us whether or not we will pray, whether or not we will take the things of God seriously, whether or not we press in and pray through when there are things we don't understand.

Know there is a realm where we can hear from God. It's not something I can explain to you in a few minutes. It takes a lifetime to learn because so much is involved, and it just gets richer and richer as we go along.

Ordinary People Filled with God

Go fingering through the Scriptures and notice how often you come across yet another person with a personal encounter with God. Often they seem to have something exceptional about them, but not always. Many times God used ordinary people like you and me.

You don't have to be some exceptional person to have an exceptional experience with God. We can look at Stephen. He was merely a deacon who waited on tables. But the Scriptures say he was full of faith and power. Yes, he was doing the work of a deacon, waiting on tables — and also out there performing miracles in the power of the Holy Ghost.

And then there was another deacon by the name of Philip. Was he an unusual man? No, he was also just an ordinary, everyday man who got filled with the Holy Ghost — and the Holy Ghost got hold of his life, anointed him, put the fire of God in his heart and soul, and he went forth in power doing what God gave him to do.

If the deacons were doing great things like these two were, realize that if you'll give yourself to God, this could happen to you. What God could do with you if you were totally committed, totally given over to the Lord. What God could do with you!

What would happen to a man who was totally committed to the Lord, whose life was totally given over to God? Do you want to be that kind of a person?

Can God use you? Are you completely given over to God? Or are you still making plans for your life?

While a child is going to school, they think about what they're going to do with their life. But what about you adults? Is your life completely given to Jesus, or are you still making plans? What are you making plans for?

Give yourself completely to God. Completely. Don't make plans to the depths of taking over your whole life without giving God much of an opportunity. Let that which you've been reading in the Bible come alive to you. Those experiences with God are all real — and this is the reality that you and I should want.

Do you want more excitement about the things of the Holy Ghost? Open your Bible; it's God's Word. Take hold of it, and let it take hold of you.