The early chapter of the Book of Acts uses different terminology to refer to God’s Spirit coming upon people, it is called, the promise, the gift, the baptism, the power and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. They are different aspects of the Spirits coming upon believers. They were already believers. Jesus had breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts were the power is emphasised it was for the disciples to go into all the world with the gospel. They were told to wait for the Spirit because if they had gone out on their own strength nothing would have happened. Nobody would have been saved at Pentecost if the Holy Spirit had not blessed Peters preaching. They would have laughed at him and mocked him. He would have been frightened as he had been when the little girl pointed him at as being a follower of Christ, he denied Christ. No matter how well a man is educated or how many theology degree’s he has he will make no impact if he is not filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God Hovering Over the Water
Genesis 1:1-2
The Holy Spirit was not skimming over the waters but it was Gods dynamic wind of His breath, His creative power. He breathed life into creation. In Genesis 2:7 “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” Man was just dust, dead mater. But God breathed divine breath in him and he beame a living soul.
The Spirit Came Upon Bezeleel
It says in Exodus 31:2-3 “I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri . . . . and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.” It includes others in Verse 6 the Holy Spirit came on them, “In the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded them.” Also: “Then hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work of the engraver and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer in blue and in purple and in scarlet and in fine linen of the weaver, even of them that do any work and of these that devise cunning work.” (Exodus 35:35).
Samson the Spirit came upon Samson.
Elijah’s received a double portion of the Spirit
Zerubbabel rebuilding the temple, it is said: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord.” (Zech. 4:6).
Our Lord was born of the Spirit, walked in the Spirit, but the Spirit came upon him at His baptism for service. Jesus Himself was a perfect child. He lived a spotless manhood. He was holy and undefiled in His life. Yet even Jesus, before He began His messianic ministry, must first be anointed with the Holy Spirit from God. And that happened at His baptism, when the Holy Ghost came down in the form of a dove, and abode, lighted, upon Him (Matthew 3:16).
The disciples were followers of Christ, he breathed on them the Holy Spirit but told them to wait in Jerusalem until the received power to go out into all the world and breath the gospel. Jesus Himself was a perfect child. He lived a spotless manhood. He was holy and undefiled in His life. Yet even Jesus, before He began His messianic ministry, must first be anointed with the Holy Spirit from God. And that happened at His baptism, when the Holy Ghost came down in the form of a dove, and abode, lighted, upon Him [Matthew 3:16]. Prayer
In Acts 1:14- 15 it says, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.” “The number of names together were about an hundred and twenty…These all continued,” it says In Acts 2 the Pentecostal chapter begins, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” And verse 4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”
What kind of men turned the world upside down?
Was it Peter who cowered and denied his Lord when a little girl pointed him out as a follower of Jesus Chris? Was it doubting Thomas who did not believe his Lord was rised from the dead? Was it the disciples who ran away in the Garden when their Lord was being taken a prisoner? Was it the disciples of Jesus who were in the Upper Room hidden from the public praying and waiting for the Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4), that is, the outpouring of the ascension gift of Christ, waiting for the promised power of the Spirit of Jesus.
God is with us, and the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us today. God is for us He does not God work against us. Life may be hectic, there may be many discouragements, but, “In all things God works together for good, to them who love the Lord, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
However we at Agape wait another outpouring of the Spirit, and for the joy, the power that come along with it and the effect it will have on our community. We are continually calling on Him to come on that capacity.
Being assembled together with them, the Lord said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). Peter said, “This is that which was spoken by Joel the prophet” (Acts 2:16) the whole assembly prayed for him to come. We long for, we desire an outpouring. He has promised to do it in his word.
The Preparation for Pentecost.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. There appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1-3). God wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Joel 2:28
Joel was written when disaster came upon Israel. A plague of locusts came and destroyed every green thing on the land. It brought destruction to the land and the people were in a life and death situation. Joel prophesied everything would get worse, greater judgement was to come in the future. However he went on to say great blessing would come in the latter days. God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. That’s what Peter preached in his first sermon and then God added unto the church those who were being saved. It was a clear and powerful preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Joel said, “And those days have come to pass. They are fulfilled in our time, in our generation, in this dispensation and day of grace. The Lord said to these apostles, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you” (Acts 1:8). And in the epistles, the apostle Paul wrote by inspiration, in Ephesians 5:18, “Plerouste.” Pleroo means “to be filled.” Plerouste is an imperative. It’s a command, “pleruste, be ye filled.” God has poured out the fullness of His Spirit, and it is His will for us to be filled with the Spirit of God. It is to be alive for God. It is to be enthusiastic for the things of God. It is to have more interest in God than sport, music, entertainment, TV, computers. It is the will of God that we be filled with the Spirit Ephesians 5:18. It is to be continuous.