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 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “You heard 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 come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed 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 end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,  and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”   Acts 1: 3-11

Who is the Holy Spirit?

He is God. He is a Person, not a force.  He is one of the three persons of the Godhead. He speaks, feels, responds, creates, etc., He supports and helps God’s people.  He carries out and expresses the will of God on earth

          He brings life – he creates – He energizes – He exercises the will of God.

i] We see Him at work in the beginning of creation:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:1-2).

ii] We see Him at work in the lives of the Old Testament characters:

They are given special abilities for God’s purposes to be worked out on the Earth.

When he [Samson] came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that had caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands (Judges 15:14).

See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship (Exodus 31:2-3)

Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God…..” (2 Chronicles 24:20).

iii] We see Him promised to be poured out on believers.

Throughout the Old Testament, there is the promise that a time was coming when the Holy Spirit would not be just for special people but for every one of God’s people.

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20).

This time, when all believers were to receive the Holy Spirit, was dependent upon the finished work of the Messiah, Jesus: His death, resurrection, ascension and glorification.  Jesus is the One who baptises us in the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost – He came!

 So who is the Holy Spirit? He’s God!

What does the Holy Spirit do?

1.  He brings us into a relationship with God.

Jesus said to Nicodemus “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit…You must not be surprised at my saying. “You must be born again.” (John 3: 5,7).

2. He convicts us of our sins.

When He comes, He will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgement (John 16:8).

You cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit working in you.  He shows us our need of Jesus and helps us come to a point of faith. He then makes us spiritually alive! He imparts eternal life to us.  The Holy Spirit helps us at every step of our Christian life.

3. He helps develop our relationship with God.


Birth is not just the climax of a pregnancy, it is the beginning of a new life and a new relationship – a relationship that grows and deepens over time.

How does he help us?

 

  • He helps us pray – (Romans 8: 26)
  • He helps us in reading the Bible –  (John 16: 13)
  • He gives us the power to live a new life – (Acts 1: 8)
  • He produces fruitful character in our lives – (Galatians 5: 22)
  • He gives us special gifts to use to help others know God – (Romans 12)

How can I be filled with [baptised in] the Holy Spirit?

“I baptise with water for repentance…He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11).

The Bible makes it clear that every Christian has the Holy Spirit.  Paul says: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8: 9).

But not every Christian is filled with the Spirit.  That’s why Paul tells us to “be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18).  Literally “go on being filled with the Spirit.”

It is as though our lives are like a boiler – when we are born again – the pilot light goes on. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the flame ignites, and we display a godly power in our lives

How were people filled and what happened in the Bible?


There are five recorded instances of christens being filled with the Holy Spirit in the

After reading these accounts we can see that receiving the Holy Spirit happens in a variety of ways.  Often someone would place their hand on and pray but other times just the word being spoken caused the Spirit to fall on individuals, like at Cornelius’ house.  For those who received baptism in the Spirit, some spoke in tongues, others didn’t and for some like Saul or Paul, speaking tongues wasn’t recorded at first but we know from his letters that he had the gift.  Others prophesied or manifested another spiritual gift.  But for all the common thing was that they and the people around them knew that something had happened.  They knew that they had received power, no matter what happened or how, they knew that they had been empowered with the Spirit of God

How do I receive the Holy Spirit?

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7: 37-39).

This was the only time anyone was told to wait before they received the Holy Spirit.  Then on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit fell on the 120 in that upper room and they spoke in a new Spiritual language (tongues).  Then when the people wondered at the disciples praising God in different languages, Peter said that this outpouring of the Holy Spirit was evidence that Jesus was now glorified in heaven. He had finished the work of salvation and had sat down at the right hand of His Father.  Since then no one has had to wait.

In fact, it was meant to be a daily event for the believer, as Paul commands his friends:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5: 18-20)

The word ‘filled’ in this passage, means to be ‘continually being filled’ with the Holy Spirit.  It is our daily privilege to come to God and to be filled with His Holy Spirit and then go out and extend His kingdom to all we meet.

Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

If you are thirsty ask Him right now to fill you.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)