Christianity 101 Unit 4 and 5

By Jason Evans

Units 4 and 5 of the Christianity 101 series dives into the subjects of the Holy Spirit and the laying on of hands. There are so few who really understand the work, power, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. While the Bible should always be our ultimate source of understanding, God has also given teachers to help guide us. That is what this entire series is. It is only a guide to aid in our understanding.

Some of the questions that this book answers includes:

Who is the Holy Ghost?
What is the seal of the Holy Ghost?
How does the voice of God sound?
What makes someone a prophet?
How does the Holy Spirit work?
When are you baptized in the Holy Ghost?
What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit?
Is He given by the laying on of hands?
What is a blessing and a curse?
How can we operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365815805

Jason Evans

Attorney and writer. The twilightkeeper at The Clarity of Night.

Book preview

Christianity 101 Unit 4 and 5

Christianity 101 Units 4-5: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit & The Laying on of Hands

Christianity 101 Units 4-5:

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit & The Laying on of Hands

By: Jason Evans

On The Line Ministries

This book is a combination of the fourth and fifth units in a series of basic Christian training as seen @ www.onthelineministries.com. If you would like copies of this book or other books from On The Line Ministries please visit the website and view the book and video shop.

2017

This Christianity 101 course will take you through each of the basic doctrines of the Bible as listed in the book of Hebrews 6:1-3.

Copyright © 2017 by Jason Evans

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2017

ISBN 978-1-365-81580-5

Unless otherwise noted , all Scripture is taken from the King James Version, (KJV) Copyright © 1995-2017, The Zondervan Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Also used: New International Version, (NIV) Copyright © 1995-2017, The Zondervan Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

On The Line Ministries

P.O. Box 52317

Riverside, CA. 92517

www.onthelineministries.com

Contents

Preface1

Introduction: Unit 4 The Baptism of the Holy Spirit5

Unit 4:1 Sealed by the Holy Spirit7

Unit 4:2 Who Is the Holy Spirit17

Unit 4:2a Knowing the Voice of God: The Bible27

Unit 4:2b Knowing the Voice of God: What Is a Prophet37

Unit 4:2c Knowing the Voice of God: The Audible Voice of God51

Unit 4:2d Knowing the Voice of God: The Still Small Voice of God59

Unit 4:3 The Work of the Holy Spirit71

Unit 4:4 The Evidence of the Holy Ghost83

Unit 4:4a Is Speaking in Tongues Evidence of the Holy Spirit93

Unit 4:4b Is Speaking in Tongues Biblical105

Unit 4:5 Gifts of the Holy Spirit121

Unit 4:6 What Are My Spiritual Gifts131

Unit 4:7 The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament139

Introduction To Unit 5: The Laying on of Hands153

Unit 5:1 The laying on of hands155

Unit 5:2 Is the Holy Spirit given by Laying on of Hands167

Unit 5:3 Giving a Blessing to Someone175

Unit 5:4 What Is a Curse185

Final Thoughts193

Preface

Christians should be able to teach what they believe. But there are too many of us that still get confused about basic doctrines in the Bible. Different views on faith, salvation, Bible authority, spiritual gifts, end times, and so on divide us into denominations.  The only way to make sure you believe the truth is to examine your foundational beliefs. That is what this course is all about! We are going to examine our faith from the ground up.

But, you may be asking yourself, Why should I reexamine my beliefs? I know I am right!  I want you to picture a house, ... but not just any house. Think of a house of cards. It’s weak, shaking, and the slightest breeze can turn it into a game of 52 card pick-up real fast. Now I want you to imagine a slightly different house. This one has stone bricks instead of cards, ... all except for the middle row. That part still has those other flimsy cards. This is what our beliefs are like when we don't have a solid understanding of the Bible.  Will either of these houses stand strong against the hurricanes and floods? It isn’t hard to see why the first house would fall. It's just paper cards. But even the good, strong bricks of the second house will crumble as the middle row gives out.

How many of our beliefs are solid, and how many are only as good as those cards? Did you know there are more beliefs out there about God and the Bible than you could hope to know about? It is very hard to find a single person who holds all of the same beliefs that you do. There always seems to be something different.  So is it possible that you and I may BOTH have a few cards in our house, and not even know it? What if some of those pretty stones we have are actually fake? What if they are only cards printed to look like stones? How can we know the truth from a lie? And, even more important, ... how can we make sure our house is solid, in every area? 

Fight for Truth but Be Willing to Yield

I believe that when you know the truth you do not have to act like you could be wrong. Statements like, This is just what I believe the Bible says. does not sound like they come from someone with a solid belief system. Everyone should be fully persuaded that what they believe is true, even if it isn’t.  We need to hold onto the truth and speak what we believe is the truth. We need to hold onto it so tightly that it becomes a part of who we are. BUT, we should not hold onto truth at the expense of truth. In other words, we should be willing to hold onto what we believe UNTIL we find out it isn’t true. 

This book is not here to make you doubt what you believe. It is, however, here to test your beliefs. If this frightens you then I encourage you to examine yourself now. You need to see why testing your beliefs would make you afraid. Is it because you are afraid you may be deceived? If so then you most certainly need to test your beliefs, because you obviously don’t feel confident in them.  As we go through these foundational doctrines of Christianity we will, no doubt, hit some nerves. Take some time to examine the things said, though. Don’t just dismiss anything out of hand. If you get upset with what I say just close your eyes, take 10 deep breaths, and try to understand why I said it. My desire is to build you up in the faith, not tear you down. Sometimes we listen to someone, or read something, only until we hear something that we don't already believe, or agree with. At that point, we tend to shut our ears. But what if you read a little further and find out that you were actually the one who was wrong? It's a good thing you didn't just put the book down and call it trash, isn't it?

When we do stop listening we are doing what the Bible said people would do in these last days. This is what the Bible calls, having itching ears.  We truly want to listen, but only as long as it validates what we already believe to be true. So we only listen to certain teachers and dismiss others out of hand. Again, the Bible says this is part of having itching ears.  But if you want to be someone different than the masses then you will need to endure sound doctrine. What does that mean? It means you listen long enough to test both the beliefs that you already had as well as what you are hearing.  We are all subject to being wrong. So it is very important that we be willing to listen and challenge our beliefs. This is how we endure sound doctrine. This is how we make sure our faith stands on solid, Biblical truth.

Introduction: Unit 4 The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

We covered the Bible and faith towards God in our first book. Next, we spoke of the eternal wrath and judgment of God against sin in the second book in this series. When we got to the third book we explained the 5 requirements of salvation listed in scripture and even spoke a little bit about baptism.

So by now, you should know enough to become a Christian, if you aren’t already. The promise of salvation is given at the moment of repentance. Baptism and confession also happen at the same time. If you read Christianity 101 Unit 3: Repentance and Salvation then you know that when I speak of baptism I am not speaking of water baptism.

But, it seems to be enough for some people to get their foot into the door of heaven. But, there is still much to learn! You can become saved without really understanding things in the Bible. You can be saved without knowing anything other than that you need to believe Jesus and repent of your sins.

But beginning now, in this book, we are going to be telling you about what you have walked into! You’re going to understand the Holy Ghost, the gifts He brings, and so much more.

Acts 1:5

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

We talked about what water baptism meant in unit 3, … but let’s begin this unit by learning about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the His seal on our lives. From there we will go on to understand what a life with God is like.

Unit 4:1 Sealed by the Holy Spirit

If you read the last book then you already know that there are different types of baptism. We spoke of both water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But, let’s just have a little refresher right now.

Baptism itself means to be immersed in something. Whatever you are immersed into covers you entirely. With water baptism, the water completely covers your body. Then you are raised up out of the water as a metaphor for your own death to self, and new life in Jesus.

Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is very similar, except it is NOT a metaphor. What being baptized in the Holy Ghost means is you are immersed in the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is also called the Spirit of Christ, the comforter, and so on. He covers you entirely, breathes new life into your soul, which was dead in sins, and the new life you live is no longer yours, it is His.

When Is a Person Baptized with the Holy Ghost

One more thing I want to refresh your memory on is that this happens at the moment of salvation. It is not an event that happens later. This is because you can not receive Jesus without also receiving His Spirit.

Romans 8:9-10

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The only requirement to receive Him is to repent and be forgiven of sins. Then you are baptized in the name of Jesus. Being baptized in the name of Jesus is a way of saying that you are being immersed in Jesus. In other words, you are immersed (baptized) in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 6:3

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

When you become immersed in Jesus you are also immersed into the Holy Ghost. This is why the scripture said that you WILL receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He didn’t add the words,