THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES AT PENTECOST

The Day of Pentecost is the first impartation of the Holy Spirit,
The “Living Water.”
To make us ONE with Christ Jesus.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
And filled the whole house where they were sitting.
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated
And came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
And began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
(Acts 2:2-4)

Peter speaking about what had just happened said:
‘Exalted to the right hand of God,
He (Christ Jesus) has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit
And has poured out what you now see and hear.’ (Acts 2:33)

When the people asked what they should do
In light of what they had witnessed,
Peter replied:
‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
So that your sins may be forgiven.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -
For all whom the Lord our God will call.’ (Acts 2:38-39)

AFTER THE DAY OF PENTECOST
THE MINSTRY OF CHRIST CONTINUED IN HIS DISCIPLES

PHILIP IN SAMARIA:
When the disciple Stephen was stoned to death,
A great persecution broke out against the followers of Christ Jesus.
The believers were scattered throughout the country.
Philip went to Samaria and began preaching
And God attended his preaching with signs and wonders:
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria
Had accepted the word of God,
They sent Peter and John to them.
When they arrived they prayed for them
That they might receive the Holy Spirit,
Because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them;
They had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,
And they received the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given
At the laying on of the apostles’ hands
He offered money and said,
‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands
May receive the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 8:15-18)

The saints of Samaria believed
And were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus,
Yet had not received the Holy Spirit.
However, when Peter and John placed their hands on them
They received the Holy Spirit. There had to be a significant manifestation
For Simon to ask for the ability to do what Peter and John had done.
One can surmise it was similar to what happened on the Day of Pentecost.

PETER AT THE HOUSE OF CORNELIUS:
Peter came to the house of Cornelius at the command of a vision from God.
He began speaking to the people gathered there about Christ Jesus
And the Scripture records the following:

While Peter was still speaking these words,
The Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter
Were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out
Even on the Gentiles.
For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. (Acts 10:44-46)

Here there was no specific prayer needed for the people
To receive the Holy Spirit.
It was done sovereignly by the Father.
It is of note that the manifestation of their receiving the Holy Spirit
Was the same as those on the Day of Pentecost.
Later, Peter back in Jerusalem, explains to the saints there,
What happened at the house of Cornelius:
‘As I began to speak,
The Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.
Then I remembered what the Lord had said, ‘John baptized with water,
But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us,
Who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Who was I to think that I could oppose God!’ (Acts 11: 15-17)

PAUL IN EPHESUS:
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior
And arrived at Ephesus.
There he found some disciples and asked them,
‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’
They answered, ‘No we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’
So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’
‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.
Paul said, ’John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.
He told the people to believe in the one coming after him,
That is in Jesus.’
On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
And they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
There were about twelve men in all.’ (Acts 19:1-7)

In this case the laying on of hands occurred
And the manifestation of receiving the Holy Spirit
Was the same as on the Day of Pentecost.

CHRIST HAS GIVEN HIS BELIEVERS POWER
The apostle Paul says:
‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.’
(1 Corinthians 4:20)

Christ Jesus said:
‘…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you’ (Acts 1:8)

This is another critical characteristic of the Kingdom of God: Power.
Christ Jesus is all-powerful,
And on the Day of Pentecost he gave his authority and power
To his apostles and disciples.
Jesus said, as the Father sent Me I send you. (John 17:18)
This can be seen throughout the Book of Acts.
This is the pattern for the church.
This power is the power to live for Christ,
And the power to do the works of Christ.
The Kingdom of God will always be distinguished by power,
As it was during the ministry of Christ Jesus and the in Book of Acts.
The power of God reveals the glory of God.
Jesus came to bring glory to the Father.
Jesus gave his believers His power and glory.
Christ Jesus uses His power to demonstrate His supremacy
Over the kingdom of the devil and to destroy the devil’s work.
Every Spirit filled child of God has the same power
And the same mission. Paul says:

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
And you have been given fullness in Christ,
Who is head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:9)

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The glorious Father,
May give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
So that you may know him better.
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
In order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
And his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
Which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead
And seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
And every title that can be given,
Not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under his feet
And appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
Which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything
In every way. (Ephesians 1:17-23)

Ephesians 1:23, from the Amplified Bible reads:
…Which is His Body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all--
For in that body lives the full measure of Him
Who makes everything complete,
And Who fills everything everywhere [with Himself].

For this reason I kneel before the Father,
From whom his whole family in heaven and on earth
Derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches
He may strengthen you with power
Through his Spirit in you’re inner being,
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
May have power, together with all the saints,
To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
And to know this love that surpasses knowledge--
That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
Than all we ask or imagine,
According to his power that is at work within us,
To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
Throughout all generations,
For ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 4:14-21)

HOW DO WE DEMONSTRATE THE POWER
OF CHRIST JESUS IN OUR LIVES?
When Jesus had called the Twelve together,
He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons
And to cure diseases, and he sent them out
to preach the Kingdom of God
And to heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2)

This is what Jesus sent out his disciples to do, two by two.
This is what was done by the apostles
And disciples in the Book of Acts.
This is our mission today.
Jesus said that as the Father sent Him He sends us.
Christ Jesus said:

‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
Baptizing them in the name of the father, Son and the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.’
(Matthew 28:18-20)

‘I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions
And to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’
(Luke 10:19-20)

Is any one of you sick?
He should call the elders of the church to pray over him
And anoint him with oil
In the name of the Lord.
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well;
The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
Therefore confess your sins to each other
And pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
(James 5:14-16)

Jesus said:
‘And these signs will accompany those who believe.
In my name they will drive out demons,
They will speak in new tongues;
They will pick up snakes with their hand;
And when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
They will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.’
(Mark 16:17-18)

WE WITNESS FOR CHRIST
Satan has blinded the eyes
Of those who do not believe in Christ Jesus.
When we live for Christ and when we tell others about Christ
And the love, joy and peace available to them in Christ Jesus
And they respond;
We are working with the Father and the Holy Spirit
To remove the blindness.
Some of these people will make a confession of faith.
Some will think it over and some will never respond.
But in any case we will have planted the seed of LIFE,
THE GOOD NEWS, in their hearts.
The Father is the evangelist,
And everyone who hears His voice will turn to Him.
We live for Christ Jesus, and tell others about Him
And the Holy Spirit brings His power to confirm what we say and do.

WE LAY HANDS ON PEOPLE AS THE LORD DIRECTS
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them
And they received the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 8:17)

When Paul place his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
And they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:6)

Do not neglect the gift,
Which was given you through prophetic message
When the body of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Timothy 4: 14)

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,
Which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (2 Timothy 1:6)

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work
To which I have called them.’
So after they had fasted and prayed,
They placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2-3)

The laying on of our hands imparts the Holy Spirit
And His gifts to others
According to the will of the Father.

WE HAVE GIFTS IMPARTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
The apostle Paul says:
‘Just as each of us has one body with many members,
And these members do not all have the same function,
So in Christ we who are many form one body,
And each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
If it is encouraging, let him encourage;
If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously;
If it is leadership, let him govern diligently;
If it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.’ (Romans 12:4-8)

Now you are the body of Christ,
And each one of you is a part of it.
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles,
Second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles,
Also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others,
Those with gifts of administration,
And those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
(1 Corinthians 12:27-28)

God the Father has given gifts to His saints according to His will,
To establish His Church as His representative on earth.
The deacon Stephen, the first martyr of the church,
Was a worker of miracles.

WE LOVE
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy
And can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
And if I have a faith that can move mountains,
But have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor
And surrender my body to the flames,
But have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:1-8)

Our love confirms or nullifies our faith,
It determines whether or not we belong to Christ.
If we do not love, the Holy Spirit does not live in and through us,
Because He is LOVE.
If we do love, we confirm that we have LIFE in the Holy Spirit.

SUMMARY:
The focus of the word of God is the Christ,
Whom God would send to redeem His people, by His shed blood,
By His resurrection and by His baptizing with the Holy Spirit.
In Jeremiah 31, God told what He would do in His New Covenant.

The apostle John, in 1 John gives another perspective
Of God teaching through His “Anointing”.
The man God sent to announce the eminent coming of the Christ,
John the Baptist,
Foretold that the Christ would baptize (immerse) with the Holy Spirit.

Before his crucifixion Christ Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem
Until they were clothed with power from on high.
On the Day of Pentecost 120 followers of Christ
Received what John the Baptist had foretold
And what Christ Jesus had promised.
The Book of Acts records the continuation
Of believers being baptized (immersed) with the Holy Spirit
And what they did in the power of the Spirit.
We can conclude that the pattern of believers receiving
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit,
Being immersed in the Holy Spirit,
After the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in the Book of Acts,
Continues to this day.
The recorded history of the church of Christ Jesus testifies to that fact.
The typical manifestation of receiving the Holy Spirit
Is speaking in tongues,
A language unknown to the recipient.

FOR WHAT PURPOSE DID GOD GIVE TONGUES?
Before Jesus ascended to heaven,
He said that one of the signs that would follow believers
Is that they would speak in new tongues:
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
He who has believed and has been baptized will be saved;
But he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who have believed:

In My name they will cast out demons,
They will speak with new tongues.
(Mark 16:15-17)

Tongues Are Given To Educate Yourself Concerning God‘s Will And Way:
The apostle Paul says: “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself“…
(1 Corinthians 14:4).

He goes on to say:
I would like everyone of you to speak in tongues…(1 Corinthians 14:5).

Further he says:
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
So what shall I do?
I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind;
I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
(1Corinthians 14:14-15)

And again he says:
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
(1Corinthians.14: 18)

What was the point of this?
Speaking in tongues is praying in the Holy Spirit.
The purpose is to align our mind, will and emotions (the soul)
With the mind, will and emotions (the soul) of God.
The heart is command central of the mind, will and emotions.
Praying in tongues aligns our heart with the heart of God.

To Build Yourself Up:
Jude says:
But you beloved, build yourselves up
[Founded] on your most holy faith -
Make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher -
Praying in the Holy Spirit. (Jude 1:20) Amplified

Tongues are spoken without the benefit of the person’s mind.
It is the Spirit of God speaking through the person and to the person.
Paul and Jude wanted their mind, will and emotions
And therefore the condition of their hearts
To be aligned with God’s heart.
This builds us up “in the Spirit,”
Until we are “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
(Ephesians 3:19)

That is the goal of God through his Spirit,
Through speaking in tongues.
To Stand Against the Devil’s Schemes:
The apostle Paul says:
Put on the full armor of God
So that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
But against the rulers, against the authorities,
Against the powers of this dark world
And against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
(Ephesians 6:10-18)

For this reason, Paul says we are to,
“Put on the full armor of God.”

And after we have put on the full armor of God
We are to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions
With all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18)

Even after we have put on the full armor of God,
Praying in the Spirit (in tongues) is necessary
To stand against the devil
And his schemes.

We Do Not Know What We Ought To Pray:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
We do not know what we ought to pray,
But the Spirit himself intercedes for us
With groans that words cannot express.
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,
Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
In accordance with God’s will.
(Romans 8:26-27)

Through Tongues We Speak Mysteries to God:
For anyone who speaks in a tongue
Does not speak to men but to God.
Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.
(I Corinthians 14:2)

The Holy Spirit in us can speak to God the Father in ways we cannot,
For our edification and strengthening.
This Mysterious Communication with God Brings Forth the Spiritual Gifts:
Paul says:
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts,
Especially the gift of prophecy. (I Corinthians. 14:1)

Tongues, the mysterious communication with God,
Edifies us and builds us up
So that God can impart to us the spiritual gifts that he has for us.
So that we can do His will, walking as Christ Jesus walked.
Bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.