Page 200 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

giving of the Holy Ghost (Rom 1:11, 1 Cor 1:13, 12:30, Eph 4:5). The giving of
the Holy Ghost to a Christian is an absolute event (Acts 4:31) and represents a total
commitment by a Person who is infinite (Col 1:27), it is not analogous to ‘filling
up’ or ‘overflowing’ with a liquid or to some amorphous entity which can be
increased up or down (Eph 4:5). It is, for the Christian, an all-or-nothing event
(Acts 8:37, 1 John 3:9, 4:15). The ministries of people are described more often as
gifts whilst the nine manifestations of the Holy Ghost are more specifically
referred to as manifestations rather than as gifts, although they are gifts as given by
the Holy Ghost (1 Cor 12:4, 11, 31)

Sometimes the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, other than faith itself, are
coterminous with the process of Salvation (Acts 10: 44-46, 11:16). In other
instances individual Christians do not manifest any of the mianfestations, such as
speaking in tongues, other than faith itself but this does not mean that they are not
Christians (1 Cor 12:28-30) or that they are 'unbaptised in Spirit' (Eph 4:5). On still
other occasions people are ‘converted’ such that they have a measure of faith in
Christ but are not yet Christians (Acts 8:12-23, 18:25-26, 19:1-6) even though they
are described as having ‘believed’ (Acts 8:12-13, 21-23) or as ‘disciples’ (Acts
19:1). The Word describes Semon as having believed and being baptised (Acts
8:13) but he was not in fact a Christian (Acts 8:21, 23) but was exhorted to become
one (Acts 8:22). To become a Christian is a supernatural event involving the
receiving of absolute faith from God (Acts 8:37). The use of words such as ‘gave
heed’ (Acts 8:10), ‘believed’ (Acts 8:12, 13) and ‘received’ (Acts 8:14) refer here
to people who were not yet Christians (Acts 8:10) but became so when Peter laid
his hands on them (Acts 8:17-18). In Acts 8:14 it says some had ‘received the
word’ which refers to those who were not yet Christians and in Acts 8:17 it says
they ‘received the Holy Ghost’ which refers to them now having become
Christians.

Partial faith is also described as ‘believed’ in John 12:42 when John 12:43 makes it
clear that these silent ‘believers’ loved men more than God which is not what
happens in the perfect basic spirit of a Christian and in any case this was before
Pentecost. Christians manifest the Spirit as is best for them (1 Cor 12:7) in all the
circumstances, under the Prime Principle as orchestrated by God (1 Cor 12:6, 11,
Eph 4:16). Likewise they can receive its blessings just as easily through the
ministry of others and this is not to be despised as inferior (Rom 1:11, 12). The
members of the Church should recognise the level of manifestation of its members
so that it acts appropriately (Eph 4:16). Apollos was originally not a Christian
when he was preaching John’s baptism even though he was, like an Old Testament
prophet or indeed John the Baptist himself, ‘fervent in the spirit’ (Acts 18:25).