How people receive the Holy Spirit
- Yewande Olapade
- Jan 25
- 5 min read
Winter 2025 Rable Talk- Lesson 2
It was January 2024, and this dear family friend had messaged to let us know he will be visiting the twin cities area with their family. This very family friend provided my husband his first accommodation upon getting to the United States as a graduate student. This family friend would always call us during occasions and celebration of birthdays and yet, I have not met him in-person for many years. He had a way of calling me- he calls me Olori- in Nigeria language, it means Queen. Now, I am blushing. We had connected on the phone so well that when he announced he was visiting, the joy in my heart could wake up a city.
That morning, I had cancelled all the activities, cleaned the house, prepared cuisine, instructed my husband and children to dress well. Of course, because an important person was coming to visit us. That morning, I did not yell to get everyone to coordinate themselves well, someone important to the family, to me, was coming to town. We all understood the mission. I had taken time to explain to the children that this is like a father to your dad, to us. When the bell rang, I told Peter, let us go to the door together as a family to welcome him.
As a family, together, we showed up prepared. We showed up with honor. When he and his wife appeared, I went on my kneels- that is how Nigeria Yoruba people like it. We showed up anticipating the visits. I had to check on his and the family itinerary several times to ensure the meeting happened. Oh, for the things we do for the people we love! We showed up with our best behavior and outfits. The kids dressed proper and clean. I think we even color-coordinate to make sure pictures looked great. We showed up with unity, in one accord. You wondered, Yewande is this a human friend or a spirit?
Honor is the currency of favor. Honor is the value you place on something. Honor is your invitation letter to the Holy Spirit. No one in the scripture, from Jesus, to Cornelius, to Peter and the apostles, to Paul, to Adam, who had received the Holy ghost, received him, not without a desire. The honor you placed on its presence, determines how you show up to meet and receive the Holy Spirit. The honor you placed on his power correlates strongly with your capacity, your capability, and the ability to manifest of the spirit. The honor you placed on a life of the spirit, determines how much of the spirit that gets manifested through you. The Holy Spirit is a person of value, he shows up by invitation. The Holy spirit is a person of purpose, she shows up wherever or whenever the will of God needs to be executed.
At salvation, your acceptance brings the gift of salvation. Think of salvation as entering a bar to drink. That gift of salvation happened through the help of the Holy Spirit. At salvation, a measure of the Holy spirit resides with you. No one comes to the father, except by the spirit. Now, think of the in-filling of the Holy Spirit is like ordering drinks from the bar. How drunk you get depends on the number of drinks you ordered. Don't worry, this post is not about alcohol or promotion whatsoever, but this analogy gets close on how the Holy Spirit comes and stir sons and daughter of God to move in the purpose of God. The desire for the Holy spirit has to be there!
A Group Encounter
Now let's get to Act chapter 2. It was the day of Pentecost- the 49th day after the death of Jesus. The day fully came, and the followers of Jesus gathered in one place. The followers of Jesus gathered in anticipation of the promise of the spirit of God by Jesus in Acts 1. The followers believed Jesus' instructions and showed up with obedience. The followers gathered in one accord- oneness and in unity. The followers gathered at the upper room in the instructed location- Jerusalem, waiting to receive the gift of the Spirit.
The followers Qavah!
To Qavah is a Hebrew word which means to wait, the followers waited for 10 days! To Qavah means to engage, the followers engaged in prayer and fasting and in the study of the word. No wonder, when some distractions came after the church growth, Peter said, we are not called to serve tables. We will continue in word and prayer (see Acts 6:2). To Qavah means to form, to interconnect, to be woven together, to become different. To Qavah is to expect and hope for. To Qavah means to wait patiently. To Qavah is to plait, to intertwine with God. Receiving the infilling of the Holy spirit is a one-time impact that takes some time to invoke.
To Qavah means to intertwine with God. Waiting is an art. It takes wanting to wait. It takes waiting to know. It takes waiting to grow. To Qavah is to wait for God and wait with God. Waiting is not punishment, waiting is nourishment! God is growing you in the waiting room.
The followers waited in prayer and in study of the word and suddenly there was a sound like a roaring of a mighty wind. And the sound filled the house, and it appeared like a cloven tongues like fire, and it sits on every one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them abilities.
What a description, what an experience, what an encounter. This chapter will be the reference for the 2025 Table Talk
Here are other examples of how people receive the Holy Spirit
A Personal Encounter
In Genesis 2:7, after God created man. He breathed into man. The breath of God made Adam and Eve living souls- self-aware being. A personal encounter is between a person and God. Every group encounter, person-to-person encounter (Philip and Ethiopian eunuch Acts 8), or person-to-group (Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10) encounters involve some personal encounter. The Holy spirit is personalized, every sign, every gift, every manifestation of the Spirit is individualized. Moreover, the impact is felt beyond the carrier of the Holy Ghost.
I think that is enough for the second week. More resources are available in the slides below. To follow the conversation, subscribe with your email below to join our newsletter. Let me hear from you in the comments
Winter Table Talk is an annual bible study organized by The How Platform during the Winter months that focuses on a topic. 2025 is the year of the Holy Spirit.
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