And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all.
What he was speaking about was the baptism, or the over-filling, or overflow of the Holy Spirit, I believe this is what the church is lacking today; has your life become a dull, dreary thing, like he describes here. Do you get up in the early morning and it’s off to do the same thing over and over again?. There are Some people who say “I have lived my life and done nothing and now it comes to the end. We shouldn’t be Like Leslie Pucket “Sometime back the Associated Press carried this dispatch: “Glasgow, Ky.–Leslie Puckett, after struggling to start his car, lifted the hood and discovered that someone had stolen the motor. Does it feel sometimes that someone has stolen your motor?
But this should never be said of a believer in Jesus Christ, though I understand the sentiment. It should never be said because the Lord in his wisdom and insightfulness and grace has given to us the power, to be joyful, power to pray, the power to accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God. Even if the only one who sees them is the Lord of Glory.
Acts 1:4-8
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive (power) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
The word Power is the greek word “Dunamis” where we get our word dynamite, dynamo. How long has it been since you felt the joy of the Lord in your life? How long has it been that you shared the joy of the Lord in your life with others? Because those are the 2 dynamics here. you will be given power, the (epi experience) or the coming upon, overflowing, baptism, whatever you want to call it. You will experience the Lord, not only read about him or go through the motions for him. But will partner with him.
You will also be witnesses, or Martyrs. Now when you hear that word immediately you think of someone who has given their lives for a cause. Well if you read Foxe’s book of martyrs you will read just a sampling of those who truly, physically gave their lives because they would not denounce the Lord Jesus. but you can also be a Martyr spiritually. We are called upon to give our lives, our very essence to Jesus Christ, lay down our lives on the Altar of sacrifice every day. How long has it been since you shared the joy of the Lord with another, by praying for them, by loving them, by just calling and saying hello.
In essence we are called upon to partner with the lord, that’s the dynamic of being a witness for the Lord.
That’s what Isaiah teaches us in Isaiah 59:16–
“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor”
Ezekiel says in EZ 22:30
“So I sought a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the Land, that I should not destroy it; But I found no one”
It’s interesting that in Gen 8:9 Noah says ‘But the Dove found no resting place and she returned to the Ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself” Did you hear that? “He put out his hand (invitation) and took her(received) and drew her to himself (began a relationship)
Jesus said John 7:38 “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”
Are you dry today? Do you look around in the world and see hopelessness and get discouraged? Well congratulations if you answered yes to these questions–You are human? The Lord would say to you, If you have received me as Lord and savior of your life, I want to do so much more with you and in you. It is never too late to be my servant. It is never too late to be my friend, It is never too late to be my bride, it is never too late to fill you with the Holy Spirit which is a promise, a seal, an enabler. to do all that I want you to do.
But you say Its too heavy a burden Lord. he would say ” Come unto me all who are burdened and heavy laden and i will give you rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
1:believe in the promise, like Noah believed the Lord that the waters would recede.
2: Put out your hands with that expectation of receiving the Holy spirit? Like Jesus said “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”
3: Bring him unto yourself. Like Noah did with the Dove.
Jesus said it would, so believe, in the expectation, of the promise into your heart. And be witnesses of what the Lord can and will do for a life that is completely given over to him.
D.L Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.”
“There are no failures in the Kingdom of God”
Amen
