You shall receive power 4

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You shall receive power 4

By Ivan Ho    17 Sept 2017

Myth 2. The Holy Spirit falls on everyone, believers and unbelievers alike, indiscriminately.

Some people read Joel’s prophecy and suggest that, in the last days, the Holy Spirit will fall on every human being, whether they are believers of Christ or not, regardless if they are born again or not.

And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Joel 2:28‭-‬29 NKJV

There is no denying that the Spirit of God can do many supernatural works such as healing the sick, casting demons out of people, including believers and non believers. But in baptism of the Holy Spirit when the Spirit of God falls upon and dwells in the body of an individual, that person needs to be born again in the spirit.

While it is true that what happened on the day of Pentecost was a partial fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, when everyone in the upper room was filled with the Spirit of God, it is erroneous to suggest that the Holy Spirit would fall on all mankind indiscriminately. If that was true, any Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, unrepentant sinner, anti-Christ, any human, monkey …. anything that moves would, according to such wrong interpretation of Joel’s prophecy, receive the indwelling of the Spirit of God, whether they believe in Jesus or not, whether they welcome the Holy Spirit or not. It just makes no sense at all if one interprets Joel’s prophetic word ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh‘ literally!

Note that the people in the upper room who received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were all disciples of Jesus. The Pharisees, the high priest, the crowd following Jesus from a distance and so on, were not amongst them. All those in the upper room receiving the Holy Spirit were disciples who followed and knew Jesus and were known by Him. The Holy Spirit does not fall upon someone who is a total stranger who has no relationship with Jesus.

When the prophet Joel spoke about the Spirit of God falling upon all flesh, what he meant was all flesh whose spirits have been born of God. In the last days, the Spirit of God will fall on the whole of the body of Christ, whether they are Jews or Gentiles, male or female, young or old. Everyone who is born again in the spirit will be filled with the Spirit of God!

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:16‭-‬17 NKJV

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