In John 14, Jesus is encouraging a discouraged bunch of disciples. He promises to send them a Comforter - the Spirit of truth - who would abide with them forever, "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). Note that Jesus said the Holy Spirit was dwelling "with" His men, or "alongside" of them. The Greek preposition here is para. Yet soon the Spirit would be more than "with" the disciples; soon He would dwell "in" them. Here the preposition is en. I believe the disciples went from para to en in John 20, when Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." The same two prepositions characterize your own experience. Prior to your conversion, it was the Holy Spirit who convicted you of your sins. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed to you Jesus Christ as the One who could take away your sin, who convinced you to accept Jesus as your Lord. The moment you accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit came into you and began to indwell you. You went from para to en. Not every believer, however, has the baptism with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said to His men, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." This is the third Greek preposition, epi - the Spirit comes "upon" you or "over" you. (I personally prefer the idea that He "overflows" you.) This epi empowers the believer for service. It is an outflowing of the Spirit, a flowing forth from my life of the dunamis, the dynamic, the power of God's Spirit,
In John 14, Jesus is encouraging a discouraged bunch of disciples. He promises to send them a Comforter - the Spirit of truth - who would abide with them forever, "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). Note that Jesus said the Holy Spirit was dwelling "with" His men, or "alongside" of them. The Greek preposition here is para. Yet soon the Spirit would be more than "with" the disciples; soon He would dwell "in" them. Here the preposition is en. I believe the disciples went from para to en in John 20, when Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." The same two prepositions characterize your own experience. Prior to your conversion, it was the Holy Spirit who convicted you of your sins. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed to you Jesus Christ as the One who could take away your sin, who convinced you to accept Jesus as your Lord. The moment you accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit came into you and began to indwell you. You went from para to en. Not every believer, however, has the baptism with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said to His men, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." This is the third Greek preposition, epi - the Spirit comes "upon" you or "over" you. (I personally prefer the idea that He "overflows" you.) This epi empowers the believer for service. It is an outflowing of the Spirit, a flowing forth from my life of the dunamis, the dynamic, the power of God's Spirit,