Suddenly they heard the sound of a violent blast of wind rushing into the house from out of the heavenly realm. On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples received the Holy Spirit with amazing manifestations: After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, he received the Holy Spirit as it descended on him as gently as a dove (Matthew 3:16). In the Greek text, the word for “be filled” is actually in the continuous present tense, giving the verse the meaning, “Be continually filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.”Įach encounter with the Holy Spirit is unique and powerful in its own right. The apostle Paul exhorts in Ephesians 5:18:Īnd don’t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion instead be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. I have said that there is one baptism of the Holy Spirit, but there are many fillings with the same Holy Spirit. The beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit is that God wants you to be filled often. Of course, I believe the two encounters could happen simultaneously (see Acts 10), but testimonies tend to show that this infilling of the Holy Spirit comes as a distinct encounter following a believer’s conversion. I am emphasizing a distinct experience here because there seems to be a pattern with this taking place after a person’s conversion. This type of encounter has been described in many different terms, such as being “baptized in the Holy Spirit,” receiving the “gift of the Holy Spirit,” or being “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Regardless of which term you use, these men and women of God definitely received the same thing: the power of the Holy Spirit. And this experience was what propelled them into greater levels of fruitfulness and effectiveness in ministering to others. Throughout the history of the Church, many great generals in God’s army were able to identify a distinct experience when they received the power of God. And you will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces - even to the remotest places on earth! Acts 1:8 Receiving the Power The Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be filled with power. Yet there is something more for believers to embrace: the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are born again, there is no doubt that you have the Holy Spirit within you (see Romans 8:9). I often say, “The presence of the Holy Spirit is not just the icing on the cake-it is the cake!” He is the third person of the Trinity and God himself. The truth of the matter is that it is “to your advantage” that Jesus returned to his Father-because you need the Holy Spirit to be your Divine Encourager! The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift to the Church next to the gift of salvation. And when he comes, he will expose sin and prove that the world is wrong about God’s righteousness and his judgments. But after I depart, I will send him to you. But here’s the truth: It’s to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away the Divine Encourager will not be released to you. Your hearts are filled with sadness because I’ve told you these things. You might naturally ask the disciple next to you, “What in the world is he talking about?” All of a sudden, he tells you that he is about to leave the earth and asserts that you will be better off if he goes. You have traveled with him for over three years, enjoying close fellowship with him and witnessing a multitude of miracles and unprecedented teachings. Imagine you are one of the twelve disciples sitting with Jesus at the Last Supper.
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