Water must flow not be stagnant, it must constantly be replaced. It is the same with our spiritual life, we must constantly be filled. At the feast of Tabernacles, where they pour out the water out on the steps of the temple Jesus stood up On the last day, that great day of the feast and said and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39). Jesus spoke of the Spirit of God as the life that flows out of us, it must be of Him not us, it is not the human spirit.

Because the covenant in the New Testament is far superior to what those great men in the Old Testament had. The Holy Spirit indwells us as believers he also brings with him gifts that will build up the body. If we are controlled by the Lord we can be assured that He will use us for His purposes.

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer (those who have received the gospel and believed on Him) whereas before in the Old Covenant he indwelt those God used on a temporary basis. Gen. 41:38: “And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” It was rare to see God indwell people and it was only temporary, he came upon them, in them and would leave. In the same way He would appear in the tabernacle before the high priest. This was the Old Testament model.

Num 11:16-17 the LORD said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel”(v.25) God had the Spirit upon them empowered for service. V.17 “Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them.” The same Spirit God gave to Moses was to be given to them. The reason “they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.” They were to help within the congregation for the children of Israel so Moses would not be distracted from his calling.

Then Lord came down in the camp in glory, the 70 elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again” (Num. 11:25). God confirmed their leadership under Moses by their prophesying, notice they did not become prophets, it was only once.

Num 27:15-18 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying: "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,"who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd."And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him” V.23 And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

This laying on of hands was not anything transferable since he already had the Holy Spirit. We find the answer in v. 19: “set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight.” It was visible show of who is a leader that is approved by God.

In the Old Testament the Spirit came and went, it rested upon people and indwelt others. Most of them were kings, priests, judges and prophets who were moved to prophecy. Ezek. 2:1-2 “And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.” The prophets would speak either to the nation about their backsliding and the punishment that would result if they did not repent, or about the savior that would come. In 1 Pt. 1:10-11 we are told the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets “Who prophesied of the grace that would come to you”, that this “Spirit testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

The Holy Spirit often became the witness of whom the Jews worshipped before pagans. Daniel 4:18 “King Nebuchadnezzar, speaking to Belteshazzar, ‘for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.” Daniel 5:14: “I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you.”

In the Old Testament the people did not have the Spirit as a permanent indwelling. There needed to be a new covenant that would enable man to be the temple and dwelling of the Holy Spirit. This was something that God said he desired. 2 Cor.6:16: “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (also Rom 8:9, 8:11, 1 Cor.3:16, 6:19). We become the temple by receiving Christ as savior and Lord from believing the gospel, not before.

In the New Testament He indwells the Believer permanently. He does not come and go as He did in the Old Testament. Yet He can be quenched, grieved or quieted in voice and activity by our disobedience. He is the imparter of spiritual life to the one who has faith in Jesus (2 Tim.3:5; Eph. 2:1; I Jn. 5:11-12). For: “we all were immersed in one Spirit, so as to become one body” (I Cor. 12:3). This brings us into unity with the whole body of Christ that is spread throughout the world as well as the local church body we may attend. God places us in a local body to grow and minister to others with the gifts he has given us by His Spirit. Because By the Spirit’s indwelling we enter into union with Christ and can know the Father (Rom.8:14-17). We are put in Him and He indwells us. The Holy Spirit represents Christ to us (who is not physically with us but in heaven) and conveys His nature and qualities to the believer.

This was something that the disciples did not know or experience until after Pentecost. “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). One mention is present tense, the other was future tense.

Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit was WITH them, but in the future when He leaves, the Holy Spirit would be IN them.

Jesus said, “The Spirit of truth proceeds from the Father and will testify of me” (Jesus). Jesus is the focus of the Holy Spirit just as the Father is the focus of Jesus ministry when He was on earth. An inanimate force that possesses no intelligence does not have the ability to testify. To testify means the subject has the ability to speak, He is a witness of another. The Spirit who explains the things of God to the believer is not pointing to a mere man, but the God/man, He testifies of the truth of the Son and explains the Word of God to the recipient. It is the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to pen down the word for people of all the ages to know Christ their savior. The Holy Spirit has a will and purpose for the believer, which means He is personal

1 Cor. 12:7-11: because the Holy Spirit indwells us, he brings with him gifts that are spiritual in nature. This is the only way a believer can fulfill his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. V.11 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” He is given so he can be intimately involved in our life. The Word is there to help us grow in maturity and to exhibit the life of Christ. In this way the Holy Spirit and the Word work together to accomplish the task through one who is a servant submitted over to him.

He also testifies to us that we are God’s children. Rom 8:15-16 “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” He prompts us to pray to the Father in the nature of Jesus

If the Holy Spirit is leading you to do something it will not contradict what He has already done recorded in the word or in the principles He gives. He does not contradict Jesus’ nature, which is first and foremost holiness, separate from the world and its influences to sin and to be dedicated to God’s word for our living.