by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
"If the Holy Spirit is in you, you can work miracles"
but in John 10:41 it states with regard to John the Baptist:
"And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle:
but all things that John spake of this man were true."
This, despite the fact that the bible declares explicitly that John the Baptist "shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). Clearly there is no implication that being filled with the Holy Spirit necessitated the miraculous. However, in all cases in the book of Acts where Christians are stated to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" it goes on to say that they spoke the word of God. (Acts 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 13:9f). Being "filled with the Holy Spirit" results in the God who is living within us becoming evident to others.
Even having the gift of the Holy Spirit did not imply the miraculous. The scriptures state that all who obey have the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32). Yet, they did not all have miraculous spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:28f). In Acts 8 many were baptized but could do nothing miraculous until receiving the laying on of the apostles’ hands (17-18). We cannot begin to enjoy the essence of the Holy Spirit as long as we limit His power to the temporal benefits of the miraculous. The essence of the Holy Spirit is the Divine truth He revealed (Jn. 8:32).