"And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:1-2).

Jesus' Final Instructions

Jesus visited His disciples again before He ascended back to Heaven. He instructed them that "they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father..... For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence..... Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you," Jesus said, "and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:4-8).

The promise of the Father - Jesus spoke of it often. "When the Comforter comes," Jesus said, "He will reprove the world of sin. He will not speak of Himself, but He will glorify Me.... He will show you things to come and He will guide you into all truth. He shall teach you all things." (John 14:26; 16:13). Again, Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive." (John 7:37-39).

When a person comes to Christ, the Spirit comes to dwell within him. But the baptism of the Spirit is a different and separate experience from salvation. In the opening scripture, Paul comes across a group of disciples and asks them if they had received the Holy Ghost since they became believers. If believers received the baptism of the Spirit at salvation, Paul would not have asked them this question. I remind you also, that the Upper Room was filled with disciples the day the Spirit came...

The "New" Peter's Pentecost Sermon

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4).

The disciples went from sitting in quietness to suddenly battling a hurricane in a split second. But, this was no hurricane. This was the Holy Ghost announcing His arrival. Where there was indecision, now there was purpose. Where there was confusion, now there was a mission. Where there was weakness, now there was boldness. Where there was uncertainty, now there was knowledge. Where there was sadness, now there was joy..... joy unspeakable and full of glory. This caused quite a stir among the people of Jerusalem. An enormous crowd began to gather around the upper room, with people running in from all directions. "These men are from Galilee," some in the crowd spoke, "yet we hear them speaking in all our native tongues the wonderful works of God! What does this mean?" Others in the crowd yelled, "I think they are just drunk!"

But Peter.... (this is the good part). If it had been John or Thomas or Matthew, it just would not have been the same. No, it had to be Peter, the one who had failed and denied Jesus. Listen to his words. "But Peter lifted up his voice and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: for these are not drunk as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.... And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Listen on as Peter speaks..... "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know; him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death..... Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed for this, which ye now see and hear..... Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call..... Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day were added unto them about three thousand souls..... And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles." (Acts 2: 5-43).

It is hard to believe that this is the same Peter who just a few days ago denied he even knew Jesus. Now, he stands up, and lifts up his voice in front of thousands of people, "Jesus of Nazareth was approved of God..... He done miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him..... and ye have taken him and with wicked hands have crucified him!"

What was the difference in Peter? What caused such a miraculous turn in Peter's life? "Ye shall receive POWER, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you." That was the difference. John the Baptist said that Jesus would "baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire" (Matthew 3:11).

Pentecost, a feast held fifty days after the Passover, celebrated the firstfruits of the harvest. It was only fitting that the Holy Spirit would fall on that day, for it ushered in the beginning of the harvest of the last days. "In the last days, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh..... and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Peter echoed Joel's prophecy. And that day alone, three thousand new souls were birthed into the kingdom.

Why did the Holy Ghost come?

Jesus and the apostles spoke often about the Holy Spirit, and what His mission would be, in the world and in the life of the Christian:

(1) The Spirit of God would help us in prayer, Paul told the Romans. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27). Jude instructed us to build up ourselves on our most holy faith, "praying in the Holy Ghost" (verse 20). Paul again told the church at Ephesus to pray always with all "prayer and supplication in the Spirit." (Ephesians 6:18).

(2) The Holy Ghost would reprove the world of sin and would draw men to Christ. Jesus said, "And when he is come, he will reprove (convict) the world of sin." (John 16:8). Paul said to the Corinthians, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Corinthians 12:3).

(3) The Holy Spirit would give us boldness to witness. This gift was most evident in the life of Peter. Jesus told His disciples, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses....." (Acts 1:8). Again in Acts 4:31, we read, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." In Luke 12:12, Jesus tells us, "Take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." (see also Mark 13:11).

(4) The Holy Ghost would teach us, and guide us into all truth. "But the Comforter," Jesus said, "which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things..... Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come." (John 14:26; 16:13).

(5) The Holy Spirit would glorify Christ. "He shall not speak of himself," Jesus said. "He shall glorify me." (John 16:13,14). He shall not lift up man or Himself, but everything He does will be to glorify Jesus.

In Conclusion

After Jesus had arose from the grave, and before He ascended to Heaven, He appeared to the disciples and BREATHED on them, and said to them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." ( John 20:22). The WIND that blew through the upper room on the day of Pentecost is for you today. "The promise is unto you," Peter said, "and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:39).

Do you want God's Word opened up to you? Do you want to be an effective witness for Christ? Do you want to pray effectively? You need to be baptized with the Holy Ghost! All you have to do is ask. "How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13).

Do you feel the Spirit touching your heart now? Do you long to be filled with the Spirit?

Pray this prayer.....

Father, I need Your Holy Spirit to help me live the Christian life, to understand Your Word, to be a bold effective witness for Christ, and to live victoriously over sin. I'm helpless without You Lord. Your Word says that You shall give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for Him, and that the promise is for all. Lord, baptize me with your Holy Spirit I pray, in Jesus' name.

Just lift your hands toward Heaven and begin praising Jesus. Yield to the Holy Ghost as you sense Him moving. As a sign that you have been filled, you will speak in an unknown tongue (a tongue or language unknown to you) as the Spirit gives the utterance. It may be the tongues of men or of angels (1 Corinthians 13:1).

If you were just filled with the Holy Spirit, we want to rejoice with you. Please take a moment to e-mail us at Faith Works and let us know. We realize this subject is a source of controversy among Christians. If you have any questions, please e-mail us and we will try to help you.

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