What does having the Holy Spirit mean?

[freeatlast]

Originally Posted by Carpenter

Boy oh boy, this is one topic I have wrestled with for years and only because I have had the wonderful experience of being close to Godly men that I don't think ever spoke in tongues.

I have known people with the tongues experience who were some of the most bitter, combative, caustic, and unbelivably painful to be around. Their fruit of the spirit were a small box of raisins left at the back of the drawer somewhere.

On the other hand my only hero in life, my grandfather, was a Oneness preacher for 40 some years and who to my knowledge never spoke in tongues.

He was a prince of a man and the finest Christian I have ever known. No one loved Jesus and had the true fruits of the spirit in his life like he did. They believed (the church I was in from birth to 15) that you received the Spirit when you were baptized in Jesus Name. When those family members who were in the UPC came to his funeral they couldn't answer the painful question because it was so difficult to reconcile and counterintuitive to what they had come to believe in comparison to the wonderful life my grampa lived.

No way, no way can I put my grampa in the hot place...otherwise the bible to me is only a history book.

Double Ditto's Carp. The evidence is the fruit of the spirit. The love we manifest.

Ocassionally in the bible, when people came to faith God moved on them, fell on them, filled them. Some spoke in tongues some prophesied.

Were tongues ever an evidence? Yes ! To the Jews who could not believe God could or would save a Samaitan or a Gentile.

Paul concluded his rebuke and instructions on tongues to the Corinthians by saying, " Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.

The mention of tongues occuring in the bible wer enothing like we "beg" for today.

When the Holy Spirit fell on a gruop of people, he fell on all, all at once.

No one got told, you almost got it, come next week and try again.

Fast/ Repent again/ see if you can make yourself rightoues enough for God to accept you.