Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
He poured out this which you now see and hear.
Acts 2:33
There is a paradox concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. When Christ is exalted, He pours out the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit comes to exalt Christ. This is a mystery, but understanding it helps us receive the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
The above verse clearly ties the exaltation of Christ with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So does John in his gospel: “But 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 7:39). One can experientially try this principle. Quiet your soul, and inwardly begin to worship and exalt Christ. Move your heart to glorifying, exalting, honoring, and worshiping Christ, and you will find an awareness of the Holy Spirit.
As we learn to live this way, we are walking in the Spirit. As the Holy Spirit is poured out, He comes to exalt Christ more (see John 16:12-15). This “cycle effect” creates greater degrees of intimacy between us and the Godhead, while moving us deeper into the Spirit-filled life. We choose to exalt Christ. Christ chooses to pour out the Holy Spirit. The Spirit chooses to empower us, which brings greater glory to Christ. The more Christ is glorified, the more Father God is glorified. Here it is in Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him [Christ] and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
If you desire more intimacy with the Holy Spirit, become passionate about that which He is passionate: exalting Christ in all things! We each have our own individual passions. As we seek to exalt Christ in those areas, we align our passions with the Holy Spirit’s passion, creating a domino effect that will result in tremendous fruit for Christ and Father God!
What are you passionate about? Are you passionate about exalting Christ? If it was possible to look at your every moment of every day, including every thought and desire, would Christ be exalted the majority of the time? This is not to bring guilt but a sober mind. Will you, wherever you are, turn your heart to Christ and begin to exalt Christ?
A tired, beaten old man lies in a hole in the ground filled with sewage. He has been falsely accused of treason, abandoned by his friends, and now waits for what he is sure is his execution. Seemingly unbothered by this, he writes on an old piece of sheepskin in the moonlight. No one knows what he is writing or what he is thinking; but they will soon. The man who has always been passionate about justice and truth is now imprisoned unjustly. If we could only peer down into this prison hole and see the old man, we might be tempted to think he was a failure, a life wasted, or at least in need of some sound advice. But if you were to say these things to him, you might be amazed at his response. I imagine he would say what he has always said, “But what things were gain for me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may [experientially] know Him and the power of His resurrection.”
You see, this man exalted, valued, and honored Christ to the loss of all things he had once exalted, valued, and honored. And this was his reward? Yes, he was standing in a sewage-filled prison hole, but the presence of the Resurrected Christ was standing with Him. He exalted Christ and Christ poured out His Spirit on him. Maybe one day we can ask the old Apostle Paul if it was worth it.