Deeper Life #316

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

—John 20:22

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT RECEIVING the Holy Spirit and the baptism with the Holy Spirit are one and the same thing, which in Scripture they certainly are not.

The men to whom Jesus said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” had been put through crises that had revealed their true nature to themselves. This could have been done only by the quickening of the Holy Spirit, who enabled them to understand Christ’s teachings and prepared them to receive Christ in His fullness, as promised by the Father.

Christ did not ask the disciples to believe in some person He called the Holy Spirit; instead, He told them to receive the Holy Spirit. No soul was ever, or will ever be, born into the kingdom of God except by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer Thought: Spirit of God, I need You daily.

SUGGESTED READING: Luke 24:46–49