Lesson THREE
Book A
"You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you". Acts 1:8
BAPTISED IN POWER
Jesus didn't want His disciples to tell others about salvation without the power of God. This is why He told them, as believers, to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come.
"For John truly baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now". Acts 1:5
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth". Acts 1:8
These were the last instructions that Jesus gave His disciples. they were, perhaps, very important ones?
THEY WERE ALREADY BELIEVERS
When Jesus gave His disciples this instruction, they were already believers. They had been born-again in the upper room where they received the nature of the Holy Spirit.
And when He had said this He breathed on them, and said to them "Receive the Holy Spirit". John 20:22
When Jesus said "receive" they would have received. He didn't make any mistakes. In fact we see the evidence of them receiving the nature of God through the Holy Spirit at the end of Luke's gospel:-
"And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen". Luke 24:52,53
GREAT JOY BEFORE PENTECOST
This was before the day of Pentecost, but after the resurrection. Prior to this they had been hiding away for fear of the Jews. Now they were exhibiting great joy.
This joy comes when we get "born-again" according to John 3:3-6. It is part of the nature of the Holy Spirit within us. Galatians 5:22
but still the power of the baptism of the Holy Spirit had not yet come. This baptism, in the Old Testament, would have been equivalent to the prophetic anointing. the prophets office still exists in the New Testament, but now for confirming on a personal basis, not directing. The Holy Spirit leads each person now. The anointing oil was poured "upon" the prophet to be, and so it is with the Holy Spirit baptism. The New Birth comes "within" so that the anointing can come upon.
THE BAPTISM COMES UPON YOU
the born-again experience is when Jesus comes into your heart. the nature of Christ changes your very nature from within. You are a new creature in Christ.
the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes upon us, not within us. It is equivalent to the anointings of the Holy prophets of old. Only this is now the time, after the day of Pentecost when God said:-
".....in the last days", says God "I will pour out My spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy.......". Acts 2:17
From the day of Pentecost onwards these are the last days. The Holy Spirit was given and has never been taken away since.
CAN ANYONE GET BAPTISED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Any born-again believer can, because it is a gift to the believers in Christ, but not those who are not born-again.
The Bible says:-
"And I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper, that He may abide with you forever. (He has never been taken away since), even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive". John 14:16,17
So the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit, only born-again believers. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit cannot move upon a person with a right heart, every now and again, but on a continuous basis He will only do this with a born-again believer. This is the promise of Abraham.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE RECEIVED.
the Bible says that "Whatever you ask the Father in My name he will give you". John 16:23
so when you have the time, ask you Father to baptise you in the Holy Spirit. Failing this, ask one who is baptised in the Holy Spirit to lay hands on you and pray with you.
You will know when you receive this experience because you like the others in the Acts of the Apostles will speak in tongues and prophesy. the sign of speaking in other tongues is not the operation of the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the language that you speak to God in that no-one understands, 1 Cor 14:2, and not even you.
the gift operates through you to others primarily. but the sign operates from God through you back to god. Your spirit doing the talking, but your head not understanding.
SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS THE EVIDENCE
"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance". Acts 2:4
"The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God". Acts 10:45,46
"And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied". Acts 19:6
Speaking in tongues is the evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism, as shown by these three witnesses here. Two others indicate the same though not stating it outright. However this is not the exclusive evidence as there are other operations of the Holy Spirit, but it differentiates the Old Testament from the New Testament.
WHAT IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES?
"Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels........". 1 Cor 13:1
"For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him..............". 1 Cor 14:2
Tongues then is when you don't understand what you say, only God does. It comes from the spirit arena and not through the mind. You have no understanding, but God does. Speaking straight from your spirit to God by-passing the mind.
All the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1Cor 12 are given for this purpose. We don't get the gifts, we get the Holy Spirit baptism or anointing. He, the Holy Spirit, operates through us to others like rivers of running water pouring from heaven through us to others.
HOW DO YOU RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
1. Ask your Father for the gift, according to Luke 11:9-13. Read these scriptures first.
2. Open up your heart to receive from God. Expect to receive and set time aside for it. Or, have an alive Christian who is full of the Holy Spirit lay hand son you.
3. It is you who does the speaking, not the Holy Spirit. However, He is the one who places the languages within your spirit, not your mind. You will not understand what you are about to speak and it must be received by faith.
You must do the speaking and He will be the one who puts the spirit language within you as you speak in faith.
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