And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions (Joel 2:28, KJV)

The Lord gave the prophet Joel the amazing revelation of the Promise of the Holy Spirit for His people. He says the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. Let us examine the  phrase  “pour out.” What does it mean?

The figure used here for the Hebrew word translated “pour out” is that of pouring out fluid from a container which is metaphorical for expending(spending or giving)  lavishly and extravagantly. The Lord was saying He will lavish His Holy Spirit upon the believer in Christ through the work of  Jesus.  We are immediately faced with a conceptual difficulty here. It is that of the idea of quantity, which is implicit in this truth. Is the Holy Spirit in quantities that can be measured or given in increasing amounts? John 3:34 tells us clearly that God did not give Jesus the Holy Spirit by measure, implying that there is a quantifiable aspect of the Holy Spirit. How can the Holy Spirit be quantifiable spiritually as such?

The mystery lies in the understanding that the Holy Spirit is both the Person and the Power of God. I did a series of teachings on  “the Spirit and the spirit” last year which I will encourage you to watch. In fact, this concept is so critical in understanding the Holy Spirit that I will encourage you to undertake a personal study on it. 

As a Person, the Holy Spirit is God Himself. You cannot have only a part of His Person. You either have Him or not. But as “power from high,” the Holy Spirit is quantifiable. We can have an increasing measure of His power. The promise of Joel 2:28 above is clearly referencing both the Person and the Power. When the Spirit will be poured out, the prophet saw prophecy as an immediate result. Well, prophecy is a manifestation of the power.

Pouring out the Holy Spirit, therefore, implies not only having the Person of the Spirit living in us but an extravagant lavishing of His power on us!

MEDITATE

Is the Holy Spirit in the New Testament only for those who hold the office of the prophet as it was in the Old Testament?

APPLY THE WORD

God has lavished the Holy Spirit on you. He poured out His Spirit without restraint. You are heavily anointed in Christ. Take advantage of your anointing!

PRAY

Thank the Father for the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. 

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