What Does Holy Spirit Mean?

Question:
What does the term "Holy Spirit" mean?

My Reply:
The Holy Spirit isn't a term, but a person of God.
God is 3 in 1:
God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is not an "it", but a "who".

---Pastor Andy

When You Received the Holy Spirit

Question: (KJV Acts 8:12-19) "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost'."

After reading this scripture, one can conclude that:
1. You do not receive God's Holy Spirit at the moment you are baptized, as is evidenced by this scripture
2. You do not receive God's Holy Spirit at the exact moment you believe

These scriptures prove that believing in Jesus and being baptized are not linked with receiving his Holy Spirit. Scripture states that unless you have God's Spirit, then you are none of his. Are you absolutely sure you have God's Holy Spirit residing in you?

My Reply:

OK, orders of receiving the Holy Spirit:

Acts 2:37-38 = 3000 who experienced those speaking in tongues on Pentecost Sunday:
1) Heard the Gospel

2) Believed & Repented

3) Baptized

4) Received the Holy Spirit.

John 20:22 = Apostles received the Holy Spirit (before Pentecost Sunday):
1) Some were baptized first under John the Baptist

2) Believed

3) Gospel

4) Could Jesus' washing of their feet symbolize Him baptizing them?

5) Jesus breathed on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2: 
Other believers (not the 11) praying in upper room, Holy Spirit came upon them:
1) No mention of baptism
2) Believed
3) Received the Holy Spirit when tongues of fire landed on them.

Acts 8: 
1) Heard the Gospel

2) Believed

3) Baptized (but the Holy Spirit didn't come upon them)

4) Apostles prayed & laid hands upon them

5) Received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9:17-18 = Saul / Paul
1) Saul experienced Jesus Christ

2) Saul Prayed / Believed & Repented

3) Ananias laid hands on him

4) Received the Holy Spirit

5) was baptized

6) THEN he heard the Gospel.

Acts 10:44 ff: 
1) Gospel

2) "While Peter was still speaking, the H.S. fell upon those who heard the Word of God."

3) Baptized

4) Ministry (Peter stayed with them several days).

Acts 19:1-6:
1) John the Baptist's message

2) Baptized by John the Baptist for the forgiveness of sins (never received the H.S.)

3) Heard about the H.S.

4) Baptized AGAIN (this time in the name of the Lord Jesus)

5) Paul laid hands on them

6) Received the H.S.

My point:

There's no sequence as to when the Holy Spirit rests upon somebody. 
Also, not everybody who received the Holy Spirit ended up speaking in tongues...even the Apostle Paul said that tongues is just one of the many gifts, pointing out that not everybody has it. Many denominations also believe that the Holy Spirit is the one that brings us to the Lord in the first place.  Either way, I think God does a great job of reminding us that HE is in charge, not us. Also, that He is not bound to our rules or expectations.

As to your question, yes, I am Absolutely, 100% positive that God's Holy Spirit resides in me.

---Pastor Andy

The Meaning of "Begotten" in John 3:16

Question:  For those Christians who believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the same, what does "begotten" mean?  I promise I'm not trying to be antagonistic, I really want to understand your point of view. I come from an LDS/Mormon background, and while I don't believe in a lot of what I believe in, the idea of the Trinity still confuses me. It doesn't make sense to me that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are really one personage...What does in mean in John 3:16.."begotten?" If Jesus is God, then doesn't that mean He wasn't watching over the rest of the earth when He was man? Please take me seriously, I'm not a troll, I really want to understand your point of view.  Also, I know how to look thinks up in dictionaries, I'm not stupid. I want to know what it means for you in the concept of trinity. Anyone could look up a definition of something, what I'm looking for is how you INTERPRET it.

My Reply:

I was reading the beliefs of a Messianic Jewish site the other day, and I believe their translation of the Trinity makes the best sense to somebody who's confused about it:
They said that God revealed Himself throughout the Gospel in 3 ways, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit".

God the Father: Jesus continued to point to Him...remember, Christianity is about a relationship with God through His Son (God the Son), Jesus Christ. And when we enter into this relationship, we receive the Holy Spirit.

God the Son, which is Jesus, which is God in the flesh. But John also tells us in his first chapter that Jesus was the one who created everything that exists. This isn't to say that the other 2 parts didn't create, but insists that Jesus is God.

We know that the Holy Spirit dwells in God's people, both in the New and Old Testaments. Genesis also tells us that the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the waters. And Jesus talks of the Holy Spirit as being the mediator that's needed in order for us to communicate with God, who also supplies us with spiritual gifts.

John 3:16, "begotten": When Jesus is called God's "only begotten Son", the actual translation from the Greek is "God's one and only Son." John made this point because some off-religions (cults) and false teachers at the time said that God had other children, and that Jesus was just one of them. Being from the LDS, I'm sure you're familiar with such teaching that Jesus and Satan were brothers. But John tells us that this isn't true, and that Jesus is the ONLY Son of God.

---Pastor Andy

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