THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS RESIDENCE
Picture yourself sitting in the upper room with Jesus and the other apostles at the end of the Last Supper. Can you just imagine what it would have felt like and what your response would have been if Jesus had told you (happily I might add), that He was going to die so that you would be filled with The Comforter? In the gospel of John we find just that! Judas was about to betray the long awaited Messiah and here was Jesus; just as calm as if He were talking about the daily events in the life of a butterfly.
In less than two months from that very night they were going to be filled with the third person of the Trinity. God would take up residence inside each and every believer from that day forward and never leave nor desert them just as Jesus promised the apostles with His comforting words on that dark night in the upper room.
John 14:23 says; “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
The long awaited day of Pentecost* had finally arrived as the apostles gathered again for prayer. The meticulous Dr. Luke narrates for us the scenario of how the Holy Spirit rushed in from heaven, filled the whole house with His presence and then filled each of the believers; Acts 2:1-4. Remember the times in the Gospels when Jesus said you cannot tell which way the wind bloweth? Now through His power and the wind they felt on their cheeks, they began speaking in tongues and witnessing to the people there that represented all of the surrounding areas!
Actually, there in the city of Jerusalem, people had gathered from all around to celebrate the feast of the first-fruits. Fifty days from the time of Passover had gone by and now was the time of harvest! What a glorious event it must have been to witness the arrival of the Promise that Jesus had foretold. At first the people who gathered around to watch this event thought the brand new spirit filled Christians were drunk, but Peter assured them it was only nine o’clock in the morning and no one had been drinking.
(Just imagine the hushed conversations in groups of 4-5 and compare that thought with the freedom. The freedom those apostles and disciples now were living in – my, what an experience…probably much like it was for you when you got saved.)
God was now showing them fifty days after the resurrection of His Son Jesus; the Promise was theirs to keep. Now God would go with them everywhere they went. They wouldn’t have to wait outside the gates of the temple or travel several days to attend the three required yearly feasts and sacrifices at the temple where God resided. He now came to His people instead of them going to Him. Many of the experiences, feelings and thoughts the early Christians lived through are the same things we live through; but not with this particular incident on the first Christian Pentecost.
God purposefully used this exact time to fill His believers to get the biggest audience and get “more bang for the buck”, if you will. All the Israelites had to come back to Jerusalem for the Feast of the first-fruits. He wanted His children who didn’t yet believe to hear Him and when they went back to their villages and towns they would take the stories of their experience with them.
Sure, God was obviously going to send out apostles and missionaries, but the little nooks and crannies of the towns were taken care of by witnessing God in action in Jerusalem on that first Christian Pentecost. God is never one to overlook any situation; He is the ultimate Giver of Life, our Prince of Peace. What a merciful God we have; so eager to forgive, providing through His love for a way to come to Him just in case you change your mind…
There were so many signs that this “wind” was the infilling of the Presence of God the only way to “miss” it was to willfully turn away from Him. Paul reiterates the residence of the Holy Spirit in his first epistle to the believers in Corinth. In chapter 3:16 he says;
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
And again in 6:19 he reminds them that they are the temple of God who resides inside of them. For more examples of being filled with the Holy Spirit let’s take a quick glance at the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:41 says 3,000 became Christians in one day. Acts 2:47 says there were people being saved every single day. In Acts chapter three we find Peter and John going up to the temple to preach the gospel and came upon a lame man sitting at the doors of the temple. Through this man’s healing that came from the Holy Spirit through the mouths of Peter and John, 5,000 more people were added to the body of Christ! See Acts 4:4. By the time we get to Acts 5:14 we see that Peter and John had brought a multitude of believers to their new spirit filled lives.
Fast forward some 2,000 years and here we are in today’s world, today’s sinful behavior filled with violence and temptations of every kind; how’s a person to survive the onslaught of evil from the television, radio, magazines, billboards and just people around them? The answer is obviously clear for those who pronounce His name as their God, but for those who’ve been lied to on purpose it’s another story. How does one “get the Holy Spirit”?
Questions will obviously begin swirling around in the heads of those you mentor so be prepared. This is always such a blessing and fascinating time for them and for you. Always know that we’re here praying for you and those you are mentoring. Interesting word study if you have the time! Take a look at the word “comforter”.
There’s a short list of questions to answer at the end of this section; however we won’t be delving into the subdivisions of the many denominations throughout the world. The purpose of focusing on this subject is to show the new Christian how the disciples did nothing to deserve or expect the Holy Spirit to take up residence inside of them. We so desperately want you to know how the everyday Christian life is spent on a day-to-day basis of leaning into Him and no one else.
Now that we’ve gone to the Bible and learned some new things, let’s compare them with the lies that are packed tightly inside of the heart of the ex-Mormon. Exposing the lies for what they are and calling them out to the light will take the control away from the spiritual stranglehold they have around the throats of these dear people; maybe it’s even you who needs true freedom!
God said that “what is bound on earth is bound in heaven” (claim Matt. 16:19 while praying for their minds to be clear of lies). The Bible also tells us that scripture is more powerful than a two edged sword. As a believer you have the ability to claim spiritual authority over any darkness that still lingers around. So with this in mind let’s take a look at the lies; expose them for what they’re are and carefully help the ex-Mormon see the differences between what the LDS Church and the Bible really says.
For further information on denouncing and the oppression that comes along with being a Mormon, see “Denouncing Mormonism” and “The dark clouds overhead are Mormonism” later in this outline.
The LDS Church has always taught its members that “When the leaders (of the Church) speak, the thinking has been done”. So if the leaders of the Church say the things that are listed below, it’d be difficult at best to figure out whom the Holy Ghost is, what purpose he serves or where he even come from.
In DoS 1:39 Joseph Fielding Smith, grandson of Hyrum Smith and son of Joseph F. Smith was the “leading gospel scholar and the greatest doctrinal teacher of this generation”. The point to my bringing attention to this man is that he was and still is considered to be as “authoritative” as Hinckley is today. They use his writings in public correspondence and continued on to say the following in the preface of volume one in DoS:
“Few men in this dispensation have approached him in gospel knowledge or surpassed him in spiritual insight, His is the faith and the knowledge of his father, President Joseph F. Smith, and his grandfather, the Patriarch Hyrum Smith.” –
In other words, they still believe it even if they lie and say they don’t. The leaders of the Church, both dead and alive hold a tremendous amount of spiritual power over the members of the Church.
When an active, inactive, or ex-Mormon says that the Church doesn’t use these references anymore; ask them why the Church still sells them (the books) at their bookstores and why they are continuing to this day to embrace the “old prophets” theology. They are indeed used in speeches or classes they teach when it’s convenient for the leaders. Until they completely denounce all the teachings of the LDS faith, we will continue to speak the truth. The prophet Joseph Fielding Smith told the members of the Church that he didn’t speculate on the purpose of the Holy Spirit.
Doctrines of Salvation 1:39 says; “I have never troubled myself about the Holy Ghost whether he will sometime have a body or not because it is not in any way essential to my salvation. He is a member of the Godhead, with great power and authority, with a most wonderful mission which must be performed by a spirit. This has satisfied me without delving into mysteries that would be of no particular benefit.”
Then from James Talmage in his work entitled Articles of Faith, pg. 145, it says the Holy Ghost isn’t omnipresent;
“Much of the confusion existing in human conceptions concerning the nature of the Holy Ghost arises from the common failure to segregate His person and powers…the actual person of the Holy Ghost cannot be in more than one place at a time.”
Joseph Smith went so far as to say the Holy Ghost’s power is nothing but pure intelligence. History of the Church 3:380;
“There are two Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence…while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham.”
History of the Church 3:379;
“THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST by the laying on of hands, cannot be received through the medium of any other principle than the principle of righteousness, for if the proposals are not complied with, it is of no use, but withdraws.”
Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith’s Teachings;
“But the Holy Ghost is yet a spiritual body and waiting to take to himself a body, as the Savior did or as God did or the gods before them took bodies; for the Savior says the work that my Father did do I also. . . . He took himself a body and then laid down his life that he might take it up again. (Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 382; standardized).”
Note: The page number for the above passage is sketchy as it didn’t list each page number. From the entries before and after it’s somewhere between pg. 321-323.
I believe we’ve made our case and proven the Holy Spirit is not any of the things the LDS Church says He is! I can’t imagine living even one day without His Holy Spirit inside of me. I can look back to the time before I was saved in ‘93 and remember what a mess my life was then. The most striking difference is the loneliness I felt all the time from running circles in my head looking for the answers and always coming back more empty than before.
*Give definition of Pentecost. Share any insights you have gleaned in your years as a Christian.
Questions for Chapter Five
1. What are the transliterations in Hebrew and Greek for Pentecost?
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2. What is the purpose of Pentecost now that it’s “over with”?
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3. How can the Holy Spirit living inside of each believer be a comfort to the ex-Mormon? Be as specific as you can.
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4. What were some of the signs given to the disciples and others at the time of Pentecost?
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5. Who, where, what is the Church of Jesus Christ today? _____
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6. What was the purpose of Pentecost in the Old Testament? Read the following and write your answers below. Exodus 23:14-17; Lev. 23:1-16.
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7. Did the Holy Spirit ever dwell inside a man before Pentecost or the time of Jesus? Use scripture for proof of your answer. ___________________
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8. How is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in each believer different from the LDS version of the Holy Ghost? 1 Cor. 3:16 & 6:19 says what to us as believers?
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9. Give example of what a Christian might say to their very active LDS family members
or friends about the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you as a Christian and don’t forget scripture!
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Link for Chapter 6:
Chapter 6. Will the One True Church Please Stand Up?
http://lifeafterministry.com/2010/10/22/mentoring-handbook-chapter-6/
© 2010 Life After Ministries, Inc.
Throughout the annals of history we can see a number of people who have despised and maligned the word of God. They’re kind of like missionaries, but with a twist. One of the most memorable for me (Mormonism aside) is found in the Old Testament during the time of the Babylonian takeover of Jerusalem. King Jehoiakim ordered the leaves containing the word of God to be burned in the fire at his summer home. Jeremiah 36:20-26.
People tell me all the time that Mormons are some of the nicest people they’ve ever met. I would agree with that up to a point. They’re very nice up until you disagree with their theology, then all bets are off and the gloves come on.
