THE INDWELLING OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN MAN
(This teaching can be found in my YouTube/Podcast Bible School teaching series on "The Blood Covenant.")
"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" -Genesis 41:38
What was it that prompted Pharoah to say these words about Joseph? Was it because Pharoah had seen Joseph shouting, running, and dancing around the Royal Court?
No, what Pharoah saw in Joseph was far more than that. He saw a man who had Godly wisdom and character. He could not only interpret dreams, but also tell Pharaoh what his dream was. That is how Pharaoh surmised that the Spirit of God was present in Joseph.
I realize more and more that in our circles we often have a very shallow understanding of what it is to be "filled with the Spirit". All we think of is "outward manifestations" and we think little of deeper qualities such as "character".
Speaking with other tongues is the initial outward evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit are indispensable. The gifts obviously show up first in a person's life, because they are instantly imparted. However, it is the fruits of the Spirit that are the greatest testimony to the people who are watching us to see whether we have any character that reflects the person of Christ in us.
The gifts are instant, but the fruits take time, because they grow and are not imparted. Fruits are the result of one's seeking to be like Christ, as the Word and the Spirit do their work in us "conforming us to the image of the Son."
Gifts without the fruits of the Spirit may impress people for a while, but after some time, as people mature, they begin to look for the fruits in our lives. The devil can imitate the gifts to a certain point, but he can never imitate the fruits, because the fruits manifest the character of Christ.
So let us "covet earnestly the best gifts" as the last verse of 1 Cor 12 says, but then the Word of God in the first words of the next chapter show us a far "better way," telling us that "if I don’t have love, I am nothing."
Gifts without fruits can even bring a reproach to the Gospel, but gifts and fruits flowing together show the world a person who walks with Christ. THAT is the greatest testimony to the world of the life-changing indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit of God in the heart of a human.
Originally posted on Facebook by Pastor Christopher Alam