05/27/2025
Do you believe in God, and His Son Jesus Christ? If so, have you personally received His Holy Spirit? Do you really understand what this means to us? Why did the apostles have to wait for this filling and what did they do as they waited? The answers to these questions might just surprise you. So join me in studying this brief lesson.
“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."”
Luke 24:49 ESV
At this point you are probably wondering why Jesus didn't just fill his disciples with the Holy Spirit right then and there, and that is a legitimate question... why wait? Some might think this mysterious, but it wasn't. The truth of the matter is that He couldn't give what wasn't His. Let's read a verse that gives us the answer we seek...
“Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
John 7:39 ESV
So, in fact, Jesus had not yet been glorified and the Holy Spirit had not been given to Him, but as soon as it was given to Him, He breathed it onto His disciples and, yes, He breathes it onto to us as well. We read about this in Acts,
“Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
Acts 2:33 ESV
So we know that the apostles waited for Jesus to be glorified and receive the Holy Spirit, and that once He had received it Himself, He gave it to us. We know this because we have the advantage of reading what happened next, but the apostles didn't have a clue what was about to happen. What they did know was that something wonderful was in the offing and they were excited, so they went back to Jerusalem where they did what all good Jews did... they went to the temple in prayer and blessed God. Interestingly we read that they didn’t just go to the temple once, or on the sabbath… no, scripture tells us that they were there continually.
“While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.”
Luke 24:51-53 ESV
This is exactly what we should do as we seek the Holy Spirit. We should go to church, pray, and bless God continuously! When we are doing this today, we have an idea as to what is coming, but remember, the apostles had no scripture to tell them of this, so their behavior was instinctive... their faith was guiding them. Our faith should be lifting us up in our wait as well. We should be excited about what is coming and shout the praises of Jesus from the depths of our hearts.
But as excited as they were, the apostles had limited knowledge about what Jesus was sending. They had no real idea about the preparation they should make. All Jesus had told them was to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the comforter to come. So the disciples were perplexed and were excited to know what they should do to receive this Spirit; and when the tongues of fire fell upon them they were as surprised as anyone else. They were caught in the moment because when this happened it came suddenly...
“And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.”
Acts 2:2-6 ESV
The disciples were surprised, those who witnessed what happened were surprised, and the world was about to be surprised! The power of the Holy Spirit was entering not only these few men but all those who believed, and the result was a spread of the gospel that was unparallel in the history of religious belief.
At this moment, Peter told those who were witnesses that this wasn't the result of alcohol, but of God, and then prophesied to them. When the crowd had heard him they were moved and a bit afraid. They wanted to know how they might experience this, and Peter gave them instructions. These instructions are for us, even today.
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."”
Acts 2:37-39 ESV
So what is this power? Is it the power to conquer the world? No. Jesus has no need to conquer something that is already His. Is it to protect us from all harm? No. After all, every one of the original apostles except John died a violent death for their faith. So what is the power of the Holy Spirit meant to do? It is meant to strengthen our faith and give us the power and tools we need to spread the gospel and win souls to Christ, and this began on the very day of Pentecost and continues today...
“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
Acts 2:41 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your many blessings, but this morning I thank you especially for the filling of the Holy Spirit and the power it provides me as I spread the gospel of your Son Jesus Christ. Holy Father your gifts and blessings are bountiful, but never frivolous. You give us what we need and your provision sustains us as we go about the business of your kingdom. Lord you are Almighty and your Holy Spirit amazing in the ability and power it brings to us. He gives us our words to preach, to write, the power to heal, the words to pray, and so many other wonderful gifts, he provides us with an unbound strength of faith. We are not strengthened to defeat and conquer, but to spread the Word of Jesus and lift you up Abba. Thank you for your spirit that draws our souls close to you and provides the path by which we travel in our faith. Praised be your name Holy Father, and may your Holy Spirit always find a welcome home in me, and a student longing to learn and to do the things he taught. Breathe your Holy Spirit onto us Father as we wait continually in prayer, in the temple (which is our body) for His coming. Thank you, Father, for coming to us, through Jesus, in baptism by water, by way of your Holy Spirit, and by constructing in us a temple in which to pray. In this way we can believe, have faith, and receive your spirit right where we are… every one of us who seeks you can find you without hardship by believing. This is done to glorify you in our belief, our faith, and our obedience to your will by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Praised be your name as we seek you wherever we are in the moment of our belief. Hear us as we give ourselves to you in churches, homes, tents, prisons, desolate deserts, and any other place we happen to be. Hear us as we give our hearts to you in a crowd, where two of us are gathered together, or alone with you in the darkest recesses of our despair. We can do this because we needn’t travel to a holy place to find you, no, you have brought it to us. We kneel before you right where we are, in the temple which is our body. Great are you Father, and Holy, Holy, Holy are you who breathes life into us, comes to us, sends us your Son to redeem us, and breathes your Holy Spirit onto us. Amazing is your grace which saves us, and by your grace and Jesus Christ we come believe, to honor you, and to glorify you eternally.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Great is our God! Amen!
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
“They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
John 17:16-19 ESV
Rich Forbes