The Reinstatement of a Spirit-Based Relationship

 

God’s original intent for man was to be a three-part being, body, soul and spirit. Man’s original relationship with God was as God’s under-ruler having open communication with Him, having such a working relationship that God even decided to bring the animals to Adam so he could name them.

 

Genesis 2:19:
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

That’s a pretty good working relationship when God comes to ask your opinion what you ought to call them. This is how God taught Adam language in order to be able to communicate with Eve.

 

Genesis 2:16 and 17:
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. [pretty plain]

The Devil came as the serpent to Eve and directly contradicted what God says here. When she listened to him and not to God she ate of the fruit along with Adam and they both died. Since Adam lived physically for 930 years, physical death is not what died that day, but rather they died spiritually.

 

Genesis 3:4-6:
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods [God], knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Tragedy occurred when Adam sinned. He did not die physically, he died spiritually. Man now was only 2/3 of his intended nature. He lost spirit, the part that was made in the image of God. SPIRIT! When he sinned he lost his way to directly communicate with God, the relationship, the communion he had with God was gone. Anything that was based on the spirit nature had died.

 

Genesis 1:26 and 27:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

From John 4:24 we know that God is spirit. That is His likeness, His image. Both Adam and Eve had been created in the image of God, with spirit.

 

God is very protective of His image, His likeness.

 

Exodus 20:1-6:
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Psalm 97:7:
Confounded [ashamed] be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

The worship of false images brought trouble upon the land.

 

Amos 5:26-27:
But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god [your star-gods], which ye made to yourselves. [Septuagint: lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan]
Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity [exile] beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts [God Almighty].

The one true God does not want His image distorted. He is extremely image conscious.

 

Immediately after the fall of mankind God offered an answer, He promised the redeemer. This promise was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was the redeemer who accomplished what was needed by mankind and by God in order to reinstate that spirit nature.

 

God had been put into a position of not being able to reinstate spirit immediately, and mankind had been put in a position of needing to do something to get spirit reinstated. Years later the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished what was necessary so that spirit which had been lost could be reinstated. 

 

That spirit that was lost in Adam was regained by Jesus Christ so man could again be a three-fold being. He made it available so God and man could share a spirit-based relationship. This spirit- based relationship being reestablished had been anticipated throughout the Old Testament.

 

Genesis 2:7:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

When Adam lost spirit he became just body and soul again like he was before God had created the spirit in him; he had a breathing body and was a living soul. This was his image, his likeness.

 

Genesis 5:3-5:
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

This records Adam’s physical death. He had died a spiritual death at the time of his original disobedience, when he lost spirit, his connection to God. The absence of something is called death in the Bible. Before he died though, he had children who were born in his likeness and image; just body and soul, without spirit.

 

Romans 5:12-14:
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude [likeness] of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure [tupos – type] of him that was to come.

Romans 5:12-14: WT

Therefore, as by the one man the sin entered into the world and the death by the sin, even so the death passed unto all men, by which all have sinned.

In fact, sin was in the world until the law came, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Nevertheless, the death still reigned from Adam until Moses, even over them who had not sinned after the likeness of Adam’s transgression, who is a type of him who was to come.

 

The death that Adam brought into the world first and foremost by his sin of disobedience to God’s commandment was the lost of spirit life. The loss of spirit life is referred to in this passage as “the death” that reigned over all people even before the law was given to Moses. Even, though there was no law for the people before Moses, they were still dead without spirit life, even as they were under the law.

 

The one man who had caused sin to enter the world was Adam. He brought sin that resulted in death for all. By his transgression, sin entered into the world, and by his sin, death entered into the world. That death is spoken of as having passed upon all people for that all have sinned. Thus, death reigned over all people.

 

Although all people who were born after Adam and Eve had breathing bodies and living souls like Adam, the death brought about by Adam, the loss of spirit, passed to all people.

 

The spirit that Adam had must have been life, such that, without it, people would have been considered dead as stated here in Romans 5:12-14 and Genesis 2:17: “thou shalt surely die.”

 

Adam’s son Seth was born in the image of Adam after Adam had lost the spirit life. Thus Seth would have been born with just body and soul life. Romans 5:12 attests to that lack of spirit life in Seth as well as in all other people by saying that the same death had passed to all people.

 

Romans 5:16a:
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation…

Condemnation is katakrima meaning the sentence pronounced against someone. Here it refers to the sentence pronounced against Adam according to the standard stated in Genesis 2:16 and 17.

 

Verse 18a:

Therefore as by the offence [trespass] of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation…

 

These verses also describe Adam’s trespass or offense as the cause of mankind’s judgment to condemnation. Adam transgressed God’s commandment, and thus the judgment stated in Genesis 2:17 [day you eat, you shall surely die] would have been passed. Adam would have been condemned to the death spoken of by God, which was the loss of spirit life.

 

That condemnation and death passed to all other people.

 

Ephesians 2:1:
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

This death came about by Adam’s transgression. Death was the penalty for Adam’s transgression, and it had passed to all people. Thus, even though people had Adam’s image, breathing bodies and living souls, they were dead in trespasses and sins in that they were without spirit life.

 

A body and soul person receive access to the physical world, they are allowed to relate to the physical world. Without the spirit from God, mankind was denied access to relate to God, Who is spirit.

 

During the times following Adam’s fall, prior to the accomplishments of Jesus Christ, the spirit of the Lord came upon certain people, and it could also depart from some of them, like Saul.

 

I Samuel 10:10:
And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

Saul manifested that spirit by prophesying among the prophets. Saul was not created or born with spirit, but rather at a certain time in his life, the spirit of God came upon him. Unfortunately, that spirit did not remain on him.

I Samuel 16:14:
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Adam had caused sin, condemnation, and death to enter the world and that the condemnation and death had passed to all people. Thus the spirit of the Lord upon certain people in those times before Christ could not have been the same as the spirit life that Adam once had.

 

Which brings us to the question what was the reason for spirit being put upon certain individuals in the Old Testament?

 

Verse 13:
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

The spirit of the Lord came upon David who would become all of Israel’s second king.

 

II Samuel 23:1-3:
Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,
The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

By way of the spirit of the Lord which was upon David, God communicated His Word to David. The spirit of the Lord when it came upon certain people in those times, it was a means by which God could communicate His Word to people.

 

As you read about the Old Testament people who had received the spirit of the Lord upon them, they could also manifest power. They were able to receive valuable information from God and they were able to manifest tremendous power from God by that spirit upon them.

 

As great as that spirit upon them was, it was not the spirit life that Adam once had, since all people, including those with spirit upon them, were dead.

 

Numbers 11:16-17, 24-29:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.
And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.
And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

God being able to directly communicate with His people has been a heart-felt desire for Him for some time. His desire was that all His people could communicate directly with Him. He sent His son into the world to die on behalf of all of mankind, in order that all could be reconciled back to Him and receive His spirit and receive eternal life today.

 

John 3:16 and 17:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Remember God’s desire is for all men not just one particular group to be saved.

 

I Timothy 2:4:

Who [God] will have all men to be saved, and to come into the knowledge of the truth.

 

During the Old Testament, men who received the spirit of God upon them were able to receive revelation and could prophesy, and operate power. Men like Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Samuel. But a time was foretold where ordinary people would have the spirit.

 

Joel 2:28 and 29:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 

also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 

 

Joel, speaking by way of foretelling, speaking prophetically, is talking about God pouring out spirit.

In the times of the Old Testament there were on occasion men on whom God did place His spirit

but this is not talking about placing spirit only on men like a Moses, an Elijah, Amos, Daniel, Joel.

 

Verse 28:

… that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh…

 

Not just a few, a chosen here and there, but it would be available to be put upon all flesh.

 

Verse 28:

…and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…

 

Not just one person but the offspring, everybody, will have that ability.

 

Verse 28:

…your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. 

 

Sons and daughters make it both sexes. Young and old makes it all ages. So from both sexes and the age of accountability till the grave it’s going to be readily available. Quite a prophesy. Prophetically what had been lost by Adam is going to be reinstated for both male and female, reinstated on the basis of young and old.

 

Verse 29:

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 

 

Not just the ruling class, not just prophets, not just men of the statue of Moses, or Abraham, or David, but children, old people, men, women, even those in positions that wouldn’t have qualified them to be considered an Isaiah, or a David or a Samuel. Prophetically speaking, the outpouring of spirit would be available to all who wanted it.

 

So the reinstatement of spirit was an intrinsic part of what they believed in the Old Testament, what God had revealed in His Word, and what they looked forward to. They also looked forward to the one who would accomplish it. The one who was to bring this to pass, the promised seed, the redeemer, the expected saviour was anticipated in prophesy, in the scripture, and by type. “Type” are events, or practices, or people which represent or which were an anticipation of a coming event, a coming occurrence, or a coming person. The coming Christ should have been greatly anticipated.

 

Isaiah 53:6-8:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. [Speaking prophetically of the coming redeemer.] 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression [sins] of my people was he stricken. 

 

When was the first transgression committed? By Adam in Genesis 3. What was its consequence? Loss of spirit. So the redeemer would make spirit available again.

 

Verses 9 and 10:

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

 

Throughout the timeframe of the Old Testament there had been the anticipation of the redeemer, of the coming saviour. A great point of what was to be redeemed was the reinstatement of a spirit based relationship. The coming redeemer would be a prophet like Moses and be the savior who would redeem man from sin. And the first sin that had to be redeemed from, was the one that Adam had propagated at the first which resulted in the lost of spirit.

 

John 3:1-10:
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Jesus didn’t coddler Nicodemus. He asked what was wrong with him. He was supposed to be a “master” of Israel, a learned one, one who taught other teachers. According to E. W. Bullinger’s Lexicon every time this word for master [didaskalos] is used, except here, it is used pertaining to Christ. Jesus Christ was asking Nicodemus as a learned man how come he was having so much trouble with spirit being made available again since it was recorded in the scriptures in many places.

 

Even the Lord Jesus Christ prophetically spoke about the reinstatement of the spirit that would be the bases for the spirit based relationship.

 

Luke 11:9-13:

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 

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? 

 

This is prophetically speaking. As soon as the necessary work was accomplished to make it available, it could and would be offered.

 

John 4:21-24:

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

 

The Lord Jesus Christ was speaking prophetically about spirit being reinstated and needed for true worship, worship in spirit and in truth.

 

Luke 24:49:

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. 

 

Here holy spirit is called the promise of my Father and endued with power from on high. It was a promise throughout the Old Testament; soon it would be made available to all.

 

Acts 1:4 and 5:

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with [en - in] the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 

 

The resurrected Christ spoke about the gift of holy spirit, that it was going to be made available very soon, as being baptized in spirit.   

 

Acts 2:1-4:

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they 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. 

 

Peter had done things that required spirit before. Jesus had sent him and others out to heal. That would require spirit. But here they were all filled with the gift of holy spirit and manifested it by speaking with other tongues, as the Spirit [God] gave them utterance. 

 

Peter explains whose power they were utilizing and when he was finished we read of the people’s reaction to what they had just seen and heard.

 

Verses 37-39:

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 

 

It was being made available to all there; more than just the apostles, certain “special ones” not just kings and prophets. Holy spirit was made available just like it had been spoken about in the Old Testament; just like the Lord Jesus Christ had said. And it was available to all! Soon “all” would even include the Gentiles, they could receive it too!

 

So the time of the very first occurrence, when it was finally possible to make holy spirit available again, after Jesus Christ had completed all that was required for man’s redemption and salvation, God marked that special occurrence, that monumental occasion with speaking in tongues.

 

What’s so important about speaking in tongues? Here was the point in history that had been anticipated since Adam decided to go against God’s revelation and had lost spirit. For the first time since Adam’s day, God was in a position to have an open spirit based relationship, men, women, young, old, not just an Abraham occasionally, or a David or an Elijah, and what did God choose to mark that great occurrence with? Speaking in tongues!!!

 

Here was the time that had been anticipated by the Old Testament prophets and when it was a reality how did God highlight it? Speaking in tongues! Here was the time the Lord Jesus Christ spoke about through the Gospels prophetically and when it came what did God choose to draw attention to it with? Speaking in tongues! 

 

Acts 2:6-8; 11:
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Speaking in tongues is not something in God’s opinion that is unimportant, something that should be relegated to 12th position, far behind other things. Why? Because it was indicative of the reestablishment of what had been lost way back in Adam’s time, spirit. It was the evidence of the fulfillment of all those prophesies from Genesis 3 all the way through, even those prophesies spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was now available.

 

They were baptized with holy spirit, endued with power from on high, received the gift from the Father. And when they were, God didn’t think it was insignificant. God marked it worthy of phenomena, tongues of fire from heaven, rushing mighty wind, and then they spoke in tongues.

 

This was not a little insignificant matter in God’s opinion. This was something He had been working forward to, talking about, helping people to get to that point when it could be accomplished ever since Adam had lost spirit, and that relationship between Adam and God, which had been spirit based, had been severed.

 

So here at that point when what had been lost could be reestablished, what was it that God marked that great occasion with? Something that had never been heard of, something that had not been experienced before, speaking in tongues.

 

Abraham never spoke in tongues. Moses never spoke in tongues. David never spoke in tongues. Here was something greater. It was available for man, woman, young, old, handmaidens and servants. And they were doing something that even an Abraham hadn’t done, even an Isaiah had never done, even a John the Baptist had never done, they spoke in tongues.

 

Look at how significant God held it to be! WOW! What a day! God thought very highly of it. Speaking in tongues is not something insignificant. Not something of little importance, of little value. It was the great event that marked the reestablishment of a spirit based relationship that had been lost in the days of Adam.

 

Acts 10:1 and 2:

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.

 

But he was lacking one thing, being born from above and receiving spirit unconditionally. His piety, his giving, and his prayer life were recognized by God, but he still hadn’t received the spirit yet.

 

Verse 3-5:

He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

Verses 24-29:
And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius [a Gentile] waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?

Verses 33-38:
Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Verses 44-46:

While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.

 

At the household of Cornelius, when the Gentiles first received, they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had received the spirit also, because they heard them speak in tongues. That was the undeniable proof that they had received the gift of holy spirit.

 

Gentiles for the very, very, very first time being born from above, being born again, they received the gift of holy spirit, and when they did they spoke in tongues. And when Peter and the other Jews saw it, they knew without question that they had received the gift of holy spirit also because without new birth holy spirit, they would never have been able to speak in tongues.

 

Acts 11:17:
Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

The “like gift,” isos, the equal gift to the Jews. No difference in the gift of holy spirit being given by God to the Jews or to the Gentiles. Both received a complete, powerful, incorruptible spirit from God.

 

Again Moses, Abraham, David never did this. It wasn’t available until after the Lord Jesus Christ had completed all the work that was necessary for man’s redemption and salvation and then the gift of holy spirit could be shed forth for the very first time on the day of Pentecost.

 

Thus, we have Gentiles doing things that Moses, Abraham, David, Isaiah, Samuel, Elijah couldn’t do! They are speaking in tongues, they are proving that they have received the gift of the holy spirit.

 

Those who are born again have the privilege, the opportunity, the ability to be able to speak with tongues, to be able to have what Joel prophesied; spirit on men, women, young, old, any walk of life. They have access to be able to give thanks well, to edify themselves, to magnify God, to make perfect intercession.

By speaking in tongues we can do all these wonderful things that weren’t available before Jesus Christ had accomplished all that was required for man’s salvation and redemption. But since he has accomplished all that is required for man’s salvation and redemption we have access to be able to do it. Speaking in tongues is the proof that spirit has been reinstated for all of mankind to receive. We are blessed to be able to manifest this power from God when we speak in tongues.

 

God can once again have a spirit based relationship with anyone who desires it and believes regarding the Lord Jesus Christ’s accomplishments.