1.    What did Jesus say concerning the divine power that He was going to send for His followers, and how long was it to remain with them?

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

2.    Who would send this Comforter, and by what other name is it spoken of?

“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,” John 14:26.

3.    Where does this Comforter, or Holy Spirit, from God dwell?

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” I Corinthians 3:16.

4.    To whom does God give the Holy Spirit?

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

5.    How willing is the Lord to give us the Holy Spirit?

“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? . . . If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:11, 13.

6.    Did God’s children in the Old Testament times also possess the Holy Spirit?

David prayed, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy Spirit from me,” Psalm 51:11.

7.    Was there a mysterious power that lingered in the bones of faithful Elisha after he was dead?

“And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet,” II Kings 13:21.

8.    In order to be resurrected from the dead, is it necessary for the Holy Spirit to dwell in our bodies?

“But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you,” Romans 8:11.

9.    How is it possible for any man or woman, boy or girl, to obtain this priceless virtue from above?

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened,” Luke 11:9-10.

10.    What did the Lord promise His disciples that would give them power and wisdom for service in the gospel work?

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth,” Acts 1:8.

NOTE: The words Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are used synonymously. In the Greek we find the same words, and they are identical. In each case it refers to that divine anointing power from above, which God sends into the life of every person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness and earnestly calls upon Him for this power. Notice Matthew 5:6.

11.    Are there different gifts of the Holy Spirit, and what are these gifts?

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues,” I Corinthians 12:7-10.

12.    Will all of these gifts be manifest in the same person, or will different individuals in the church possess different gifts?

“Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet I show unto you a more excellent way,” I Corinthians 12:29-31.

13.    Will the true Church of God possess all of these gifts in the last days while they await the coming of the Lord?

“That in every thing ye are enriched by Him in all utterance, and in all knowledge . . . . So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” I Corinthians 1:5, 7.

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 7:20, 21.

“For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,” Ephesians 5:9.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts,” Galatians 5:22-24.

14.    As love is mentioned as the first one of these manifestations, how is love associated in the gospel with obedience?

“For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous,” I John 5:3.

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law . . . “ Matthew 22:37-40.

NOTE: Jesus said that on these two commandments hung the whole law. How true this is. The first four of the ten commandments are expressly love to God, while the last six of them pertain to the relationship of love toward our neighbor. If we love our neighbor as ourself, we will not commit any of the offenses numerated in the last six of the ten commandments. But note that Jesus said the first and great command was to love God. Therefore, the first four commandments are of greater importance than the last six.

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