Acts 19:1-7
Paul Talking about the Holy Spirit in Ephesus
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
Acts 13:1-5
The Holy Spirit Leads Paul and Barnabas
1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
On Cyprus
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
Never heard of the Holy Spirit...This is the answer Paul received from the Ephesians, when he ask them if they had received the Holy Spirit...So, we are not alone in the understanding of the Holy Spirit...Can you feel the Holy Spirit?...Can you identify with Him?...
The Holy Spirit was a strange and new concept to the people of Ephesus...Paul knew about the Holy Spirit, and taught about it...But, all in all, the information in understanding the Holy Spirit, is not put down in writing (at least to me) how the average reader of the Bible will and would understand it...It seems like the Disciples and Early Apostles all had the Holy Spirit, and many of these earlier followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit...Today, if one would go around a large room of people, it would be interesting to see how many have been filled with the Holy Spirit...It would also be interesting, just to see how many have felt the indwelling of the Holy Spirit...
Some things come to mind, when I read this answer from the Ephesians...Many people do not know what the Holy Spirit is, even though it dwells in us...Also, I do not believe that being filled with the Holy Spirit is always or even many times is a feeling or a feeling of elation (although it can be)...The Holy Spirit may be more a state of mind, and part of our soul than a feeling...I think, as I read through the Bible, the Disciples, Paul, and others are filled with the Holy Spirit, then later not so filled with the Holy Spirit, and then again later are filled with the Holy Spirit...For instance, when Paul was converted he was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17)...Then Paul again is filled with the Holy Spirit, when he meets up with Elymas, the sorcerer (Acts 13:9)...The Holy Spirit may do more leading and fate in our lives when we follow God...
The Holy Spirit was with Paul and Barnabas as they traveled...An example, is Paul and Barnabas the Holy Spirit was a Helper, in the setting up up new churches and spreading the gospel...Also, the Holy Spirit seems to been much more involved with the Early Apostles, in spreading the Word of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire and the world...The Holy Spirit was helping them with missionary work in Cyprus (and other places) and talking to them, in a sense, as they traveled...The Holy Spirit was with Paul and the other Early Apostles as they traveled the world seeking new believers...The Holy Spirit, it seems, wants us to seek out new things and new followers of Christ...
The Old Testament writes about the Holy Spirit, but does not put much detail or focus on it...Sampson, one of my favorite characters in the Old Testament, who was know for his long hair and strength, had the Spirit of the LORD in him (Judges 13:25)...He drew his strength from the Holy Spirit...I think Job, after God had finished speaking, and he acknowledges that there are many, many things he did not understand in this world (which Paul writes about above to the Corinthians in his first letter to them) -and Job must have been filled with the Holy Spirit...Because Job now is (more) trusting in His LORD, because he has felt His Presence...Job had heard the Word of God, and we know the Word of God inspires the Holy Spirit...But all in all, the Old Testament does not talk much about many people being filled with the Holy Spirit...The New Testament starts giving us more information about the Holy Spirit, after Jesus is born...Then Jesus explains and gives us the most information about the Holy Spirit in John chapter sixteen...
I think many people currently (like the Ephesians), including myself, do not know very much about the Holy Spirit...We seem to read about Jesus and His Father in the Bible and learn about Them, but the Holy Spirit is a little different -in what is said about it and what we know about it...Originally we know that the Holy Spirit was going to help the Disciples of Jesus better understand Jesus' life, His teachings, and mission to help spread His Word...The Holy Spirit certainly help spread the Word about Jesus...We, also, know that the Holy Spirit guides us to the Truth...This aid and assisting of the Helper and Holy Spirit would help those teaching about Jesus to bring glory to Him -as they taught about Him (John 16:13-14)...We also know that there is fruit from the Holy Spirit...This fruit helps us in our lives...This fruit is characteristics we need...The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)...
When Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would bring glory to Him, that is about worshiping Him...When we worship God, we are doing the work of the Spirit...Worship is not about us individually, or about man...Worship is intended for God...Worship is all about God....The more we worship and praise Him, the closer we get to Him and the Holy Spirit...
One myth, as stated earlier, about the Holy Spirit, is that it is all defined by an elated feeling about Jesus...We are not told in the Bible that being filled with the Holy Spirit brings us elation or elation about Jesus...We know it brings us to the Truth -to Jesus...When Peter and the other disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the First Pentecost (Acts 2:4) after Jesus resurrection, we are not told "how the disciples felt."...We are told they had glad and sincere hearts (Acts 2:46)....
It seems to me that the stronger our personal relationship is with God and His Son, the more we are in tune with our Holy Spirit...The Holy Spirit can be a strong part of us as we see in the Early Apostles...But it also can be very weak as Paul talks about the person or people without the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14)...Much of God's wisdom remains hidden for us...But there is wisdom we get from the Holy Spirit...Wisdom originates from God...When we trust in Him, we gain strength from our Holy Spirit...God has a plan for everything...His wisdom will be released at Godspeed and in His timetable...The Holy Spirit has a curiosity about it...The Holy Spirit wants to seek and help us seek...The Holy Spirit He has given us does its best to search the things of the world, even the deepest things of God...