Man is a spirit, but he has a soul and lives in a body. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (NKJV). The human body is actually man's domicile, his dwelling place. When a person is born again, his spirit is recreated, and that's why the Bible says if any man be in Christ he's a new creature, a new type of being that never existed before (2 Corinthians 5:17). God, by the Holy Spirit, then gives that recreated human spirit a new language and that language is what the scriptures refer to as "tongues of angels" in Corinthians 13:1. After His resurrection and just before He was received up into Heaven, Jesus gave His disciples a rundown of the characteristic features of the new creatures by which they could be easily identified. He listed to them the many things they will be known for, things they will be able to do in His Name:"…these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17-18). When Jesus said "these signs shall follow them that believe," He wasn't making a promise. Many people misinterpret this passage of Scripture as a promise Jesus made to the believer that these signs will follow him, but it wasn't a promise. You have to understand that at this point in time, Jesus was talking to His disciples about the forthcoming generation of the Church; a special breed called a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). It was to them He was referring when He said these signs shall follow them that believe. If you have believed in the Name of the Lord Jesus and have been born again, then you're the one He was talking about in Mark 16:17-18. You're to be identified by these signs. A NEW BREED OF PEOPLE During the years Jesus walked the face of the earth, the Holy Spirit hadn't yet come to dwell on earth. He came to earth after Jesus was taken up into Heaven following His resurrection. In John 14:16 Jesus promised His disciples that He would ask the Father and He would give them another Comforter - the Holy Spirit - Who would abide with them forever. Acts 2:1-4: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they (120 disciples of Christ) were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. This was when the Holy Spirit came to the earth and these one hundred and twenty disciples were the first Christians to receive Him and have tongues of fire. The Bible records that "they were all filled with the Holy Chost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Ever since that day when He came into the earth with a sound as of a rushing mighty wind, the Holy Spirit has never left the earth. From that day He has been filling every believer in Christ Jesus who receives Him and has been empowering us to do the works of Christ. He is in charge of God's children on earth; He's the Boss of the Church. RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT If you are born again but you haven't been filled with the Holy Ghost, the Lord wants you to receive Him today. Your salvation is the only qualification you require to receive the Holy Spirit. Now, you can simply ask by faith and receive Him into your spirit. Say these words out loud in faith, expecting to receive: "Dear Heavenly father, I thank You for the Gift of the Holy Spirit. As Your child, I now receive Him by faith to come and dwell in my heart. I receive Him into my soul and my body. I receive Him into every fibre of my be-ing. I am now filled with the Holy Spirit, and according to Your Word in Acts 2:4, You have received the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Now open your mouth by faith and begin to utter those words of the Spirit that are coming from your innermost be-ing. Praise the Lord! The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life makes you more than a man. You may still look, talk and walk the same way but you have become His living tabernacle. You have become more than a man as the very life and power of God now dwells in you.)
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