Acts 13:52 – And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
As far back as I can remember church folk had the tendency of associating revival with tears. I guess I had never really questioned that or even had given it a second thought until the day I discovered how wrong that really was. I had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit a number of years ago and the anointing that fell on me also fell powerfully in our church. I loved this. This was the greatest event in the history of our church, God had comedown. We are not ashamed or hesitant but I have to admit I was more than a little surprised. God had come down and we were filled with joy. Now there was the occasional tears as people gave up their sins in repentance but the atmosphere, like heaven, was dominated by joy. Here is how Jonathan Edwards describes this in His writings on the trinity.
“The third and last office of the Holy Spirit is to comfort and delight the souls of God’s people. And thus one of his names is the Comforter, and thus we have the phrase of “joy in the Holy Ghost.” 1 Thess. 1:6, “Having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” Rom. 14:17, “The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Acts 9:31, “Walking in the fear of the Lord, and comfort of the Holy Ghost.” But how well doth this agree with the Holy Ghost being God’s joy and delight. Acts 13:52, “And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost,” meaning, as I suppose, that they were filled with spiritual joy.”
This is part of the supernatural nature of the Holy Spirit. He takes someone who has been overcome with grief, maybe like someone who has lost a loved one in death. He then comforts that person with His presence and then fills them with a taste of the joy of heaven, one taste of heaven changes everything. He also takes those who are suffering depression maybe from bad decisions or a lifestyle of addiction and fills them with a joy found only in Christ. This joy not only overcomes the misery of worldly lifestyles but replaces misery with a new life in Christ.
