First day of the Second week

So today I have read through the first half (25 chapters) of Genesis! In just less than a week! Yes this is required for school, and I wouldn't have done it on my own drive. So yes, by the end of the year I will have read through the entire Bible!
Anyways, today in school worship was awesome! Then the second hour was learning how to use the online page to check our grades and whatnot. The third and fourth hour were the good parts though, Wendell Parr taught on the Holy Spirit. And I may just have to buy the audio CD for that class to listen to it again!!!
First of all, in Matthew when Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended LIKE a dove, don't make the mistake of saying that the Holy spirit IS a dove!
Next we see that there are several different "dispensations" in the Bible. First is the Old Testament Dispensation, and if you don't know what Dispensation means, look it up! In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came and went on people, 1 Samuel 10:6, 10; 11:6; 16,14 The whole thing with King Saul, the thing is, the spirit of God "came upon him" in one place and another, and "left him" in another. To see a good word picture of why, we actually go back and look at a real dove. Genesis 8:8-12, Noah sent out the dove from the ark, and it came back to him because it found no place to land, it could not stay, there was not a place for it.
Some more verses to show this happening in the Old Testament are, Judges 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14; 16:19
Back there in the Old Testament the people had a sinful nature and a spirit of sin, there was no room for the Holy Spirit and it could not stay.
The we come to what Wendell called "The Gospel Dispensation" and here we can signify what was going on by the second part of the story with Noah, He sent out the dove a second time and this time it came back with an Olive branch in its mouth! An Olive branch has been a sign of peace throughout scripture, it was signifying that the flood waters, waters of Judgment, were receding! So in this unique time of the Gospel Dispensation, the Judgment was being taken care of, the law was being fulfilled. Some things happened there that were unique and different than both the new and Old Testament times, Jesus hadn't died yet and hadn't sent the Holy Spirit to us, but it was a time of Transition from the old to the new. The Disciples had been working in the power of the Spirit and with authority, but the Holy Spirit was not living in them, He was simply with them giving them power.
The next is easily seen to be called the "New Testament Dispensation" or the "Church Age Dispensation" and the third part of the story with Noah is this, Noah sent out the dove a third time and this time it did not come back because it had found a place to land, in this time in the new Testament, we have been made righteous, the Old has gone, the New has come! We are new creations and now the Holy Spirit has a place, and does live in us! I've heard people in churches begging the Holy Spirit to come, I've heard people say "be with us!" or "Go with us!" or singing "don't take your spirit from me!" and yes this third one is in fact scriptural! BUT! This third, don't take your spirit from me, is old testament, and I'm not saying it wasn't right when it was spoken, but now we have the Gift of the Holy Spirit, and guess what? Romans 11:29 says, "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." So you cannot lose the Spirit of God! He will never be taken from you! And HE said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" "Lo I am with you ALWAYS even to the end of the age!" I like to think of it this way now when I hear that kind of thing... like this... people saying, "oh God come and be with us, holy spirit come and fill this place and just come over us... and on and on... and then ending the service... Oh God go with us as we leave this place and be with us throughout the week until we meet here again!" And my thoughts of what God might be saying, "you know I'm sure I told them... I'm with you always... I'm here... why are you still asking me to come? and I said I'd never leave you, and it wont be just until you meet again..."
Ok, so I'm... honestly not sorry if I offended any of you, that is your choice, this is all based on the Bible. So anyways, we are Still in that dispensation, the Holy Spirit comes and never leaves. You don't have to feel God for Him to be there, His word is more worthy of recognition than your feelings.

God has blessed you,
All you have to do is receive,
So do that,
I'll be the same next time...
-Ben Heath