Do You Want to Have Fellowship with The Holy Spirit? (1 John 1:1-10)
(1 John 1:1-10)
“That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
concerning the Word of life ─ the life was manifested, and we have seen,
and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with
the Father and was manifested to us ─ that which we have seen and heard
we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly
our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And
these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the
message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is
light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have
fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice
the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar,
and His word is not in us.”
What is an essential prerequisite to having a sense of fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
We first should know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and cleanse ourselves of all our sins through faith.
We first should know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and cleanse ourselves of all our sins through faith.
If
you want to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, firstly, you must
know that even a little sin in front of the Lord makes such a fellowship
impossible. You might think, ‘How can a man have not even a bit of sin
in front of the Lord?’ But if you truly wish for fellowship with the
Lord then there should be no darkness in your heart. Therefore, in order
to have fellowship with the Lord, you need to know that you must
believe in the gospel of redemption and cleanse yourselves of all sins.
If
you truly wish to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, then you first
should know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and
cleanse your sins through faith. If you do not know the gospel of the
water and the Spirit and do not take it into your heart, then you
shouldn’t even think of having fellowship with the Lord. Having
fellowship with the Holy Spirit is only possible when all your sins are
purged away from your heart through the gospel of the water and the
Spirit.
All
sins can be purged from anyone’s mind with the truth of His water and
the Spirit. The Lord blesses you with the Holy Spirit when you believe
in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit. Do you truly want
to have fellowship with the Lord and the Holy Spirit? Then recognize
your sins and believe in the beautiful gospel in order to purify
yourself of sin. After that you can truly have fellowship with the Lord.
If
you wish to have fellowship with the Lord, you must believe in the
baptism Jesus received from John in the Jordan River and also believe in
His blood on the Cross. If people truly wish to have fellowship with
the Holy Spirit, they should know who the Holy Spirit is. The Holy
Spirit is the Holy One. And therefore He can dwell only in those who
believe in the beautiful gospel.
Let
us look at a confession from someone whose sins were cleansed by
believing in Jesus’ baptism by John and in His blood, and who now has
fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
“There
are a lot of different people in this world and everybody lives with
his own thoughts and ways. I was one just as them. I had a very ordinary
life and from my childhood, I followed my mother to church and
naturally came to believe in God. My father was an atheist and
frequently criticized me for my beliefs, but the rest of the family all
went to church. Going to church was a huge part of my life.
However,
during my adolescence, seeing my bedridden father, many thoughts
regarding such things as life and death, Heaven and Hell came to me.
Most people said that if I believed in God, I would be able to enter
Heaven and become His child, but I was never sure of that. I was never
sure that I’d become His child. I had learned that if I did good on
earth then I could enter Heaven and so I tried to do good to the needy.
But
on one side of my heart, I knew I had sinned. I might have looked like a
good person to others but I couldn’t but feel guilty for my sins. At
that time, I made it a habit to go to church and pray, ‘Please let me
truly be Your child. Please let me know the truth.’ While praying, I
developed a new urge in my heart. Whenever I listened to the teachings
of His words, I could not comprehend nor see the words. I was worn out
from the emptiness of my life, my sin, death, etc.
I
had thoughts such as, ‘I want to be born again. If I can be born again,
I will not live like this.’ But despite these thoughts I went to church
less frequently and my adolescent years passed. I now needed to find a
job, but it was more difficult than I thought. I was even more
distressed and no matter how hard I tried, I could not smile. Looking at
myself with an empty heart, I fell into a state of depression. At that
time, I heard the gospel from my elder brother.
“Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that
times of refreshment may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts
3:19). This was exactly the gospel of the water and the Spirit. All I’d
learned at previous church meetings was that Jesus died on the Cross for
our sins. But this gospel told me that Jesus was baptized by John the
Baptist to take away our sins and was judged for our sins on the Cross.
I
had gone to church all my life and I had pretended to be a child of
God, but I had failed. I had tried to understand the meaning of His
words, but I had failed. However, after I heard the beautiful gospel of
the water and the Spirit and believed in it, the sin in me and all the
things that tormented me disappeared and my heart became peaceful.
I
thought that if I only believed in God with enthusiasm and went to
church with perfect attendance, then I would go to Heaven. But God sent
me the gospel of the water and the Spirit and my sins were forgiven. He
gave to me the gift of the Holy Spirit. Before I received His
redemption, I didn’t know about the Holy Spirit nor the notion of
speaking in tongues. I just went to church and believed that if I lived
earnestly and served my church, then God would bless me. But I came to
realize that I could receive the Holy Spirit only when my sins were
forgiven through the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit.
In
my previous life, I was still in sin even though I believed in God. And
I lived a lukewarm kind of life, not knowing the importance of
receiving the Holy Spirit. But through His servant, who preached the
beautiful gospel according to the Bible, I believed and came to know
that the Holy Spirit dwelt also in me.
After
receiving redemption, at first I couldn’t be convinced whether the Holy
Spirit was in me or not. But I continuously studied His words and came
to realize that in my heart a new faith was blooming and that I had
received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now it is true, and I feel
convinced that the Holy Spirit dwells in me! When He forgave my sins, I
knew that only those free of sin could become children of God and
receive the Holy Spirit.
I
also knew that my efforts to look perfect in His eyes or live perfectly
would never allow me to receive the Holy Spirit. God comes to those who
know that they are sinners and yet do not know what to do about it. He
meets those who eagerly seek and need Him.
He
made me see that doing good and believing in God with reckless abandon
would not get me to Heaven and that Jesus Christ came into this world to
save me from my sins through the beautiful gospel of the water and the
Spirit. He gave me the Holy Spirit to dwell within me forever.
I
thank the Lord for making me His child and blessing me with the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If it had not been for the Lord, I would
still have sin in my heart and would be condemned to an eternal life
imprisonment in Hell.”
Likewise,
I once believed only in the blood on the Cross and could not receive
the Holy Spirit even if I wanted to. At that time, I believed in Jesus,
but I had sin in my heart that prevented me from receiving the Holy
Spirit. A sinner cannot receive the Holy Spirit in his heart. But still,
many sinners try to receive the Holy Spirit even when their hearts are
full of sin.
If
you truly wish to receive the Holy Spirit and have fellowship with Him,
you need to believe in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit
and obtain redemption. Are you still a sinner? Then you can hear the
true gospel from those who have already received the Holy Spirit. Those
who wish to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit must have a thirsty
heart and trust in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Only
the righteous can hear the words of the Holy Spirit through the church.
They can live their faithful lives by hearing the beautiful gospel, but
sinners live their cursed lives destined for Hell without ever hearing
the gospel.
Therefore,
you must learn about the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Why do you
need to believe in this gospel? It is necessary for you to escape from
the religion of law and build your faith in the beautiful gospel based
on the words of God. Jesus’ disciples followed this beautiful gospel and
now it belongs to those who have received the Holy Spirit. The
beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit is exactly the same as that
followed by the apostles in the beginning of the early church. All
Christians must receive the Holy Spirit. Only then can they become the
children of God.
Those
who still do not believe in the beautiful gospel of the water and the
Spirit must have sin in their hearts. They cannot have fellowship with
the Holy Spirit. In order to have fellowship with Him, they first need
to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that God gave them
and receive the Holy Spirit.
The Bible repeatedly mentions the Holy Spirit
The
indwelling of the Holy Spirit began after the resurrection of Jesus.
Now is the day of salvation and now is the time of His boundless grace.
But it is truly unfortunate if we do not receive the gospel of the water
and the Spirit and if we live without fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
Do
you have fellowship with the Holy Spirit? Are you prevented from having
fellowship with the Holy Spirit because of your sins? Then learn about
the gospel of the water and the Spirit that God gave you and believe in
it. If you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Holy
Spirit will dwell in your heart and be your companion. The Holy Spirit
only dwells in the hearts of those who believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit often reveals His will in the
hearts of the righteous. Paul’s ministry with the Holy Spirit was to
spread the beautiful gospel.
How
can you recognize someone who has received the Holy Spirit? What is the
benchmark? The benchmark is whether or not he believes in the beautiful
gospel of the water and the Spirit. If the person knows and believes in
the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit, then he is a person
who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The
Holy Spirit does not dwell in those who do not believe in the beautiful
gospel. The Holy Spirit dwells only in those who believe in the
forgiveness of sin that comes from the baptism Jesus received from John
and His blood on the Cross. Do you wish to have fellowship with the Holy
Spirit?
Do
you know what kind of gospel you need to understand in order to receive
the Holy Spirit and have fellowship with Him? The beautiful gospel is
found within the faith in Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood on the
Cross. If you do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
your sins cannot be forgiven and therefore the Holy Spirit cannot dwell
in you. The Holy Spirit demands that people should believe in the gospel
of the water and the Spirit in order to receive Him.
The
Holy Spirit cannot dwell within the hearts of sinners. If you want to
receive the Holy Spirit, you must first believe in the beautiful gospel
in order to cleanse yourself of all your sins. Also, if you wish to have
fellowship with the Holy Spirit, you should be faithful in preaching
the beautiful gospel. If you want to be led by the Holy Spirit, you must
always love the beautiful gospel and attempt to spread it wherever you
go. The Holy Spirit is with those who preach the gospel of the water and
the Spirit.
The
indwelling of the Holy Spirit is given only to the righteous, those who
believe in the beautiful gospel. Only the righteous, those who believe
in the beautiful gospel, can have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The
beautiful gospel that the Holy Spirit approves of is the gospel that was
accomplished by Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood (1 John 5:3-7).
Peter
also believed in the beautiful gospel and said, “There is also an
antitype which now saves us ─ baptism (not the removal of the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). In the Bible, “water”
frequently stands for the baptism that Jesus received from John the
Baptist.
Those
who are able to receive the Holy Spirit have received redemption
through the beautiful gospel and are free of all sin. Those who believe
in the beautiful gospel can worship the Father in spirit and truth by
the lead of the Spirit (John 4:23). The Holy Spirit helps the righteous
live their lives filled with the Holy Spirit. Those who have the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit can live forever praising the Lord. The
Holy Spirit guarantees that we are children of God. We may live forever
within the gospel of the water and the Spirit and within the Holy
Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does not have fellowship with those who deceive themselves
The
Holy Spirit tells sinners in 1 John 1:8, “If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” The Holy Spirit
cannot dwell in those who deceive themselves. The Holy Spirit reprimands
sinners, saying, “Why did you not believe in the beautiful gospel
accomplished by Jesus’ baptism and His blood?”
We
will look at a confession of a born-again Christian who believed at
first that he received the Holy Spirit without the evidence of Jesus’
baptism and His blood. This man now believes in the gospel of the water
and the blood and has received the Holy Spirit. Here, we should point
out exactly in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
“God
began living in my heart when I realized the reason for my existence in
this world. Looking at myself, I think my feebleness to live in this
cruel world alone came out as a craving for God. I did not search for
God but naturally accepted His existence for He is not visible, but He
is there. Of course, I asked myself, ‘Is He really there?’ but even the
thought of it terrified me for I firmly believe that He is the Creator
of all.
Those
who rejected God seemed foolish, yet in some ways much more powerful
than me. They seemed like they could go through anything on their own
and on the other hand I looked like a weak fool. But because I had hopes
for the life after death, I looked upon God with even greater respect. I
wondered whether Heaven was a place for people like me who feel they
are always lacking. And that question made me wish more earnestly for
the Heavenly Paradise.
My
parents looked down on people with religion and my siblings went to
church with no devotion. They thought my devotion to church would soon
die out so they didn’t stop me from going to church until I was in
middle school. So I went from church to church and finally started going
to a small church near my house until I was in college.
The
reason I chose to attend this church was that it placed a strong
emphasis on the gospel. The pastor of the church was an evangelical
revivalist who apparently did nothing that would violate the words of
the Bible. I had reasons for leading a religious life earnestly, even
when I was stressed and oppressed by my studies.
The
reason was that when people called my fellow church members heathens, I
believed that my church was right and I was certain that I would go to
Heaven. That certainty was based on the gospel. They said that sinners
cannot enter the gates of Heaven, but the people of other churches also
said their hearts were full of sin. I also believed that the people of
my church were sinners before I attended the church, so didn’t think
much of this criticism.
But
those so-called evangelical revivalists were different from what I had
experienced in the past. They said that if we believed in Jesus in the
correct manner, we were sinless. And only those who are sinless can go
to Heaven. They also said that Jesus brought us justice on the Cross and
therefore we were not sinners but righteous people. I did not believe
this at first, but when I thought about it, it made sense. I was young,
and I thought that if I wanted to go to Heaven, God would only let me in
if I were sinless, for God despises sin.
This
church had different beliefs than I was used to, and the ritual of
worship services was a little different too. But because Heaven is a
place where only the chosen few can enter, it seemed that the people in
this church had adopted the right beliefs. Because the church stressed
Jesus’ flesh and blood, every Sunday we took a bite of bread and sipped
wine. Because this ceremony was based on the words of the Bible, I
accepted it. But I found out later that people just took part in the
ritual without understanding its true meaning.
I
believed that the Holy Spirit dwelt in the hearts of believers and in
the hearts of the righteous and that He heard all their prayers. So I
believed that the Holy Spirit dwelt in me. I was so sure that God was my
companion and I never doubted the gospel that I believed in. When I was
going through hard times, I talked to God like He was right next to me.
I believed that He listened to me when I told Him things that I could
tell no one else. So I trusted Him and depended on Him.
I
couldn’t understand those who went to revival meetings to speak in
tongues and I laughed at those who attended fasting prayer services.
Looking at such efforts I thought, ‘Why do they go through such
meaningless effort to receive the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit comes on
them only when they are sinless and stays with them always. They must be
sinners. He would not come on them even with all their efforts.’ I felt
pity for them. I thought they were so foolish. With that in mind, I
came to think that my belief in the gospel was the best and others’
beliefs were all a lie.
My
arrogant heart reached its peak. For 10 years I had led a religious
life of my own. But as time passed questions began to rise in my mind
and in my heart. I thought, ‘I am sinless due to the gospel of the blood
on the Cross, but are all the other believers sinless as well? Do they
really believe in this gospel too?’ I didn’t know why I started asking
these questions. The questions just came to my mind and I could not ask
anyone. This was a personal belief and should not be violated. And it
would have been a rude question to ask of someone else.
But
I started to ask these questions of myself. While I was in college, I
started doing things that used to be restricted by religious precepts
and my heart became so dark that my beliefs started to diminish. I was
no longer sure of my beliefs. ‘Can I call myself a righteous man? Did
Jesus really cleanse me of all my sins?’ Amidst all this confusion, I
forced myself to think of the gospel of the Cross and I brainwashed
myself with it. But the more I pressed myself, the more lost I became,
and I did not attend church services anymore. I used my club activities
as an excuse.
Amidst
all the confusion and chaos, I finally met the truth. I heard about the
gospel of the water and the Spirit and it came to me like a bolt of
lightning. The impact was so great that I felt like crying. But
listening to the gospel, I had to admit that all that I had believed
until then was false.
I
had never passed on my sins to Jesus. I vaguely had believed that He
had taken away my sins and that I was a sinless man, but that was not
the case. Why did Jesus come to this world to be baptized? Because He
wanted to show us He was as meek as a lamb? To prove that He came as a
man? Or to prophesy His inevitable death? I had never dreamt that
whatever vague knowledge of baptism I had was of such significance. The
truth was that Jesus was baptized by John, the representative of all
humankind, and with that baptism, all our sins were passed onto Him.
‘Oh!
That is why Jesus became God’s Lamb who carried with Him all our sins!’
Now everything made sense. ‘Jesus was judged for my sins on the Cross.
That’s why I am sinless in my heart.’ The moment I knew of the gospel of
the water (Jesus’ baptism), blood (the Cross), and the Holy Spirit
(Jesus is God), the sins I’d felt in my heart vanished.
Now
I am truly a sinless and righteous man and the Holy Spirit finally
dwells in my heart. The belief I had in the Cross was not enough to
cleanse me of the sins I’d had in my heart. If you don’t know exactly
how your sins were passed on to Jesus, your sins cannot be forgiven, and
the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in you. I thank the Lord. I was able to
receive the Holy Spirit through the beautiful gospel.
Without
any effort, I was forgiven through the gospel of the water and the
Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells in me now and forever. Now, I can
proudly call myself a sinless man and can be proud that the Kingdom of
Heaven is mine. I take this opportunity to thank the Lord for giving me
such blessing without expense. Hallelujah!”
Those
who receive the Holy Spirit can say that they are sinless in the
presence of God. No matter how long you have believed in Jesus, if you
do not believe in the beautiful gospel that God gave us, you surely have
sin in your heart. People like that are deceiving themselves as well as
God. These people have never met the Lord. If a sinner wishes to have
fellowship with the Holy Spirit, he must first stop deceiving himself
and confess that he has sinned. Only then will he be qualified to
believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Those who believe in
this beautiful gospel deserve to receive the Holy Spirit.
What
does the Holy Spirit say to sinners? He advises them to obtain
forgiveness for their sins by believing in the beautiful gospel that was
accomplished by Jesus’ baptism and His blood. If you say that you’re
not a sinner when you have sinned, then you will never receive the Holy
Spirit. Those who do not believe in the beautiful gospel and say that
they have not sinned deceive both God and themselves. Sinners must know
of the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit and receive the Holy
Spirit. Only then can they be delivered from God’s severe judgment.
The righteous can have fellowship with the Holy Spirit by confessing their sins
I
speak to those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit
and thus, have received the Holy Spirit. Let us look at what God has
told the righteous. In 1 John 1:9, it is said, “If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” This verse means that we can cleanse our actual
sins from our defiled hearts by reminding ourselves of and believing in
the beautiful gospel that declares Jesus took all our sins when He was
baptized and He atoned for them by being crucified. The righteous need
to confess their actual sins to God. Only then can they have fellowship
with the Holy Spirit. The righteous should confess their actual sins and
continue to believe in the beautiful gospel.
Long
ago, the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism and His blood cleansed all
our sins and therefore, the righteous should believe in this gospel and
be free from all their sins. The Lord has already forgiven all their
sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The righteous must
believe in the beautiful gospel to be free from their sins. The
righteous can purify their hearts by believing in the beautiful gospel
of the water and the Spirit when they are polluted with their actual
sins.
Our
Lord cleansed all the sins of the righteous long ago with His baptism
and His blood. Therefore, those who believe are truly free from all
their sins. However, the righteous should confess and admit their sins
in the presence of God. And then the righteous must return to faith in
Jesus’ baptism and His blood, which composed the beautiful gospel, in
order to be free from all their sins. Therefore, they can always lead a
fresh new life accompanying the Holy Spirit. Those who can look to the
Lord without concern for their weakness can have true fellowship with
God thanks to the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit.
How can we attain a true sense of fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
There
are many people who wish to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. But
they do not know how to make this wish come true, even though they
believe in Jesus. All people come to receive the Holy Spirit by
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and start having
fellowship with the Holy Spirit from that time on.
Likewise,
the only way a righteous person can have fellowship with the Holy
Spirit is to know and believe the truth of the gospel of the water and
the Spirit. The fellowship between the righteous and the Holy Spirit
cannot be achieved without the true gospel. What about fellowship with
the Holy Spirit? It is only possible by believing in the truth of the
beautiful gospel.
God says that man sins throughout his life
In
1 John 1:10, it says, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a
liar, and His word is not in us.” There would be no one who has not
sinned in front of God. Even the Bible says, “There is not a just man on
earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). All men sin
in front of God. If anyone says that he has not sinned, then he is a
liar. People sin throughout their lives until their dying hours and that
is why Jesus was baptized by John to bear all their sins. If we did not
sin, then we would not need to believe in God as our Savior.
The
Lord says, “My word is not in you” to those who think as if they have
not sinned. If a person doesn’t have faith in the beautiful gospel of
the water and the Spirit, then he deserves destruction. If a righteous
man or a sinner says that he has not sinned in the presence of God, then
he does not deserve to believe in the beautiful gospel.
The
Lord gave everyone the wonderful gift of the beautiful gospel. We
confessed all our sins and repented in order to receive forgiveness of
sins with the beautiful gospel. We could come back to the beautiful
gospel that God bestowed on us as forgiveness for our sins and believed
in it in order to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. A true sense of
fellowship with the Holy Spirit is in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, and only those who have the gospel of the water and the Spirit
may have fellowship with God.
Mankind
was far from God because of the sins inherited from Adam and Eve. But
now we, who have inherited the seed of sin, can look forward to having
fellowship with God again. In order to do that, we must return to the
faith in Jesus Christ’s gospel of the water and the Spirit and be
forgiven for the sins that have put us so far from God.
Those
who believe in the beautiful gospel will be saved from all their sins
and God will fill them up with the Holy Spirit. The righteous can have
fellowship with God, for they have received the Holy Spirit. Therefore,
those who have been cut off from God for their sins must return to the
beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit and believe in it. Only
then can they begin to have true fellowship with Him.
The
indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes with faith in the beautiful gospel.
We must know that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes only through
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Believing in the
beautiful gospel created a new pathway to God. The Lord broke down the
middle wall that separated us from Him because of both original sin and
actual sins, and allowed us to have fellowship with God through our
faith in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We
must establish fellowship with the Holy Spirit once again. True
fellowship with the Holy Spirit is achieved through understanding the
gospel of the water and the Spirit for obedience to the faith.
Fellowship with the Holy Spirit occurs when we have faith in the fact
that forgiveness of our sins comes from the beautiful gospel. Those who
have not received forgiveness for their sins cannot have fellowship with
the Holy Spirit. In other words, no one can have fellowship with the
Holy Spirit without believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
If
it is hard for you to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, then you
should first admit that you do not believe in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit and that your sins have not been forgiven. Do you wish to
have fellowship with the Holy Spirit? Then believe in the gospel that
was accomplished through Jesus’ baptism and His blood. Only then will
you be forgiven for all your sins and as a reward will receive the Holy
Spirit in your heart. This beautiful gospel can surely grant you
fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment