3 Days to Pentecost
The Power of the Holy Spirit and Spirit Baptism
Mike Haines
Worship Pastor
As Pentecostals, we believe that the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit is for all believers. Speaking in tongues is a sign of this infilling. It is evidence that the Holy Spirit has filled us. If he fills us, he lives inside us. This is the fellowship that we want with God. It’s important for us to understand why we need this infilling and how we receive it.
Why are we filled with the Holy Spirit?
In short, because we need help. If you continue to read the book of Acts after verses 2:1-4, you will see Spirit-filled believers witnessing powerfully about Jesus. They share what they have seen and heard. The Spirit enables them to speak boldly. They perform miraculous signs that bring witness to their teaching. They are sometimes treated harshly for what they profess, but the Holy Spirit does not fail to help them in their troubles.
Jesus spoke of about the Holy Spirit to his disciples before they were filled. Jesus called the Spirit “the Helper.” Almost like the trailer for a movie, Jesus gives us the spoilers of what life in the Spirit will be like. The Helper will:
How are we filled with the Spirit?
By seeking the giver, not the gift. Immediately after the believers in Acts 2 were filled with the Holy Spirit, there was widespread curiosity about what had come over them. Peter, filled with the Spirit, tells the crowd to repent of their sins, be baptized, and they would be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). In other words, seek Jesus and dedicate yourself to him.
We need the Helper, just as the believers did in Acts. We need him to live inside us and testify through us. We need him to guide us into all truth and bring glory to Jesus, so that others will see his glory and worship him.
Application
Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill your friends and family. Ask other believers to pray with you. As you pray, dedicate yourself to him. He will fill you and live inside you. This is the fellowship that he wants with us.
Mike Haines
Worship Pastor
As Pentecostals, we believe that the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit is for all believers. Speaking in tongues is a sign of this infilling. It is evidence that the Holy Spirit has filled us. If he fills us, he lives inside us. This is the fellowship that we want with God. It’s important for us to understand why we need this infilling and how we receive it.
Why are we filled with the Holy Spirit?
In short, because we need help. If you continue to read the book of Acts after verses 2:1-4, you will see Spirit-filled believers witnessing powerfully about Jesus. They share what they have seen and heard. The Spirit enables them to speak boldly. They perform miraculous signs that bring witness to their teaching. They are sometimes treated harshly for what they profess, but the Holy Spirit does not fail to help them in their troubles.
Jesus spoke of about the Holy Spirit to his disciples before they were filled. Jesus called the Spirit “the Helper.” Almost like the trailer for a movie, Jesus gives us the spoilers of what life in the Spirit will be like. The Helper will:
- Live in you and be with you (John 14:17).
- Testify about Jesus and you will bear witness too (John 15:26-27).
- Convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).
- Guide you into all truth (John 16:13).
- Tell you about things that are to come (John 16:13).
- Glorify Jesus (John 16:14).
How are we filled with the Spirit?
By seeking the giver, not the gift. Immediately after the believers in Acts 2 were filled with the Holy Spirit, there was widespread curiosity about what had come over them. Peter, filled with the Spirit, tells the crowd to repent of their sins, be baptized, and they would be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). In other words, seek Jesus and dedicate yourself to him.
We need the Helper, just as the believers did in Acts. We need him to live inside us and testify through us. We need him to guide us into all truth and bring glory to Jesus, so that others will see his glory and worship him.
Application
Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill your friends and family. Ask other believers to pray with you. As you pray, dedicate yourself to him. He will fill you and live inside you. This is the fellowship that he wants with us.
Posted in 10 Days To Pentecost