Acts 1:4-8 While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will RECEIVE POWER when the HOLY SPIRIT has come upon you, and you will BE MY WITNESSES in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
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Acts 1:4-8 While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will RECEIVE POWER when the HOLY SPIRIT has come upon you, and you will BE MY WITNESSES in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
Acts 2:1-4 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.
The Baptism of the Spirit w/ Manifest Gifts is how Jesus SIGNS His Church.
1Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should SHOW FORTH the praises (wonderful deeds) of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
WE demonstrate that we’re a peculiar people…possessed by GOD, when we’re SHOWING FORTH His wonderful deeds.
The Church can do a lot of good in Jesus’ Name. But it’s the manifestation of the Gifts/Signs of the Holy Spirit that elevate us above a Public Charity. Because it’s what the Spirit does through us.
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OUR SIGNS...
Psa. 74:9 We do not see OUR SIGNS; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
- The NT Church was born with the supernatural Signs of GOD’s Presence flowing out from within it.
- The Book of Acts is a chronicle of the ACTS of GOD through church members as SIGNS that their message was coming from Him.
- OUR SIGNS flow from within us, and don’t just declare that we’re the House of GOD, but that, God is in the house!
- WE are to be LIVING SIGNS of what GOD IS DOING, not reminders of what He use to DO.
When we don’t see Our Signs we should cry out to GOD for Refilling, and Renew our Desire for them!
FILLING & REFILLING...
Eph. 5:18-19 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but BE FILLED with the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Paul didn’t say, Receive the Spirit, he said, BE FILLED with the Spirit…” GOD isn’t talking about Possession. He’s talking about VOLUME; staying Continuously Filled. That’s a Mandate the early Christians didn’t neglect.
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
The BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit isn’t about GOD-consciousness but God-ACCESSIBILITY.
Filling meant Receiving Power! That Filling of the Spirit causes a revelation—a new level of intuitive faith—where we realize that the acts of God are within us. That Filling replaces the sense of postponement with confidence for the immediate. “Such as I have, I give you…(Acts 3:6)”
TONGUES & GIFTS...
1Cor. 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be UNINFORMED.
EVERY Christian should KNOW ABOUT the Gifts.
1Cor. 12:7 To each person the MANIFESTATION (Exhibition) of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.
EVERY Christian should MANIFEST the Gifts.
Mark 16:17 ”These SIGNS will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;…
The Baptism in the Holy Spirt & Speaking in Tongues was the 1st Manifest SIGN that Jesus was going to continue His ministry through His followers.
Sign of Filling & Overflow — In Ac 2, 10, & 19, when people were Filled they praised GOD in Tongues.
Personal Edification — The ability to pray beyond your vocabulary.
1 Cor. 14:4 He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies (builds up) himself.
Jude 1:20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God…
The freedom to pray beyond your vocabulary —
Rom. 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts (GOD) knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Edification for your Spirit AND your Mind —
1Cor. 14:15 I will pray in the SPIRIT, AND I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the SPIRIT, AND I will also sing in words I understand.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit should be the Platform of our Fellowship!
Eph. 5:18-19 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but BE FILLED with the Spirit; SPEAKING TO ONE ANOTHER…
The combination of Being in One Accord & Filled with the Spirit is GOD’s formula for the Body of Christ. It’s the condition through which He operates.
